Once finals are over and everyone moves home for the summer, the notorious "breakup season" begins.

Everyone is stuck in the mentality of being "free for the summer," but if you value your relationship at all, it should be able to withstand just a couple months. Breaking up for the summer showcases such a childish mindset of a relationship having a negative connotation of "tying you down."

New relationships are tricky, sure, especially when you've been by each other's side the entirety of the academic year. However, it's time to stop treating summer as a "test" for your relationship or an obstacle to overcome.

If you genuinely think your relationship can't last the summer, you shouldn't be in the relationship at all. Entertaining something so flimsy and essentially meaningless is just a waste of your time. I'm not saying you have to date to marry, because that's not really an important thing to keep on your radar at all times unless you're dying to get married like, now.

If you want a fling, have a fling. Summer flings can be fun, sure. School year flings take a little more effort, but if you want your relationship to be a fling, have at it. The problem is the mindset that a relationship is an entrapment, that you can't be truly happy if you're dating someone who doesn't live in the same town as you because you can't "be free."

If you actually care about each other and the continuation of the relationship, you can last a measly few months apart. When you reunite either at times over the summer or at the beginning of the new fall semester, it'll be exciting and you'll savor every single minute even more because now you know how it is to be apart.

Summer can be fun even when you're in a relationship. The notion that it can't be is immature, and we're leaving that type of outlook on relationships in high school. Kiss them goodbye, tell them the stereotypical "HAGS," and calm the hell down, because you're just going to text them in 20 minutes regardless.