I'm not against relationships. I'm not a prude.

At 18 years old, I've never had a real boyfriend, and, frankly, I'm OK with that. Don't get me wrong; there have been times when I've seen my friends with their significant others and thought to myself how nice it must be to have a person like that. I've talked to guys before and just never found someone I could see myself being anything but friends with. Maybe my standards are too high or I haven't given them enough of a chance; either way I'm really happily single.

I believe that becoming the best person you can be happens over time and throughout one's lifetime, but finding who you really are happens young. I still don't know exactly who I am; at this age I'm only beginning to figure out what I believe in and what means the most to me. You need to be totally OK and comfortable with the person who you are before you involve other people in your life. Relationships take a lot of work and if you are still working on yourself, you won't be able to dedicate yourself fully to a relationship and that other person as much as you should; making it unfair to both of you.

Being so young and single, I have the chance to do whatever I want. There is nothing and no one holding me back from going to college out of state or traveling the world for the next few years. These opportunity won't be in my life forever. If you are in the same situation as me, explore, go see the world and everything it has to offer. For a long time, I thought that I wouldn't be at my best because I didn't have a boyfriend. That's so not true. If I want to change something about myself -- the way I dress or which political party I belong to, I can; no one is influencing me. I'll admit, I am afraid of toxic relationships. I've seen some of the people closest to me go through horrible, heart-breaking breakups. It took the life out of those people for a period of time, and that's scary. I don't ever want to be in a relationship that ends terribly but odds are I probably will.

There are many reasons why I love being single. I get to see my friends whenever I want since I don't have another person that I absolutely have to be spending time with. As my last summer at home comes to an end, I'm so thankful I get to spend so much time with my best friends. There is no pressure on me to know what I'm doing with my life because it doesn't affect anyone else, and if I wanted to change schools or take time off to go on a missions trip, there isn't anything stopping me. Lastly, I'm happy! I get to do me and I love it.

If you are in a relationship with someone who truly cares about you, good for you! If not, go hang out with your friends or have a movie night in; you'll find someone right for you. Respect yourself and what you believe in, don't let someone get to you simply because you think you need a significant other. You are strong enough to stand alone.