My daughter was friends with her now husband in 8th grade but his family moved away before high school and they lost touch. They ran into each other in a parking lot in their mid-twenties and married a couple of years later.
2 Likes
My daughter has been with her boyfriend for almost five years, since middle of her freshman year and his sophomore year. He graduated a year ahead of her, then his parents moved 2 hours away and he got his associates degree (2 of them), went to paramedic school and then the fire academy and is now a paramedic/fireman. My daughter did her first year of UT at home due to all online classes because of the virus, but this year she has moved 3 hours away to Austin. She and her boyfriend are still together, as theyāve had over a year to get used to being apart since his parents moved. They plan on getting married. Weāll see how it goes. 
2 Likes
Our son had a steady in high school. They parted on good terms before the end of senior year. According to him, it was a given that boarding school relationships would not to survive to college. Couplehood was kept fun, casual, and temporary so as not to impinge on college choice. He did not have a steady at the academy which was the norm. He and his current GF have been together two years and are talking about moving in together. I guess this oneās a keeper. Weāll see.
After middle school, Iāve never known any of his GFs until we met his current one when we visited him last month, so I was never invested in any of his relationships. If heās happy, Iām happy, and he seems to be very happy right now.
3 Likes
DDā19 and BF started dating in her senior year (his junior year). Same school but opposite ends of district (28 miles) so they werenāt together tons outside of school. When she went to college, they were only an hour apart so every few weekends was possible. With him in college, they are 4 hours apart. A lot of the time it is 2 months between visits.
Summer of 2020 he actually lived with us for several weeks but she worked all day and he had baseball at night and weekends at his dadās. Summer of 2021 they were 2.5 hours apart due to jobs. I feel like they could use some more time in close proximity before making any big decision but that might not happen.
But so far still going and I feel like both are making the most of their separate college experiences too, so even if they get married right after he graduates, they will have had this time of being relatively independent of each other. DD does get really wistful seeing friends with an SO at college and being able to easily go on dates or just hang out whenever.
First off, not a parent (yet) but a class of 2008 grad who has lurked a bit since. My husband and I started dating between my freshman and sophomore year of high school 16 years ago. We stuck together through college, and I actually transferred to his college between sophomore and junior year (an objectively bad decision that nonetheless ended up being a good decision for me/us - I was very happy there). We got married a year into my PhD and have been married for 8 years now. Weāre still very happy and in love, and on the same page with our goals, values, etc. We always just āfitā
5 Likes
Speaking of decisions that sound bad, thereās my own experience. I started dating DH in spring of my senior year (I was 17 and he was 23). Went to my private college 2 hours away and saw each other every weekend. At the first Christmas he proposed. I did two years away at college, had a good time, then left to get married and went to night school back home. Pregnant by graduation.
It all sounds objectively bad but it turned out good in a lot of ways. By the end of 2 years at private my parents were starting to get tapped out financially. Night school was much cheaper. I wasnāt sad to move back near home and start a new adventure. At night school I met a friend who I then introduced to DHās friend and they are still married 21 years later. And by having a baby shortly after college, I could get āmaternity leaveā out of the way before searching for my career job. 25 years later we are still having fun.
Thereās a chance DDās BF referenced in my post above could transfer to her school if his dad gets too uptight about the private tuition. Her school is a lot cheaper, great for his major, and close to home so while I think where he is at is good, it wouldnāt be at terrible idea to transfer- DD being there would just be a bonus. I think it would have been his #1 choice except he couldnāt play football there. They are paying a ton of extra money basically for the chance to play (JV so far) football.
2 Likes