We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community who married their high school sweethearts to tell us how their relationships turned out, and they were beautifully and heartbreakingly honest:
1. "We met during our senior year of high school, and we were intentionally noncommittal because we were headed to different colleges that fall — but then we accidentally fell in love over the summer. We decided to stay together and try long distance — which brought on challenging times — but we never didn't want to be together. We got married three weeks ago after 12 years together. We don't believe that we were 'meant to be' — it took work in the beginning, and it was HARD! But we chose to grow together, when we could have easily grown apart. We love each other for who we were, who we are, and who we will be."
"And he can still make me giggle and swoon like we're 17 again."
2. "My husband and I started dating when we were 16, and we've now been married 12 years and have two kids. We both had dysfunctional family lives when we were teens, so we clung to each other for support as we grew into adulthood and forward. We've changed and matured a ton as individuals and as a couple, but I think what has always kept us together from the beginning is that we're both very peace-loving, compassionate people who just want to forgive."
3. "I married my high school sweetheart at 19 years old, and 10 years later, we are divorced. He slept with our realtor while we were looking to buy our first house."
4. "I have a hard time thinking of him as 'the one,' or a 'soulmate.' We have kids, a house, dual income, and a good life together, so I'm happy. But neither of us has any other significant dating history. While we'll probably make it through the long haul, I'll always wonder 'what if,' and sometimes I think about some fictional person I would have been more compatible with, and how that person ended up."
5. "When I first started dating my high school sweetheart, I told him he was just going to be my high school boyfriend, and that once we graduated, we would break up because we were going to different colleges. But he convinced me to try long distance, and we promised each other that if either of us became interested in anyone else, we would break up. Neither of us did. When we graduated college, we got to know the grown-up versions of each other, and we are still happily together today."
—BuzzFeed User
6. "I thought I knew everything about him because I had known him for so long, but living together for the first time was hard and eye-opening. We had to learn to be together in a much different way."
"We recently celebrated out 10-year anniversary, and I can honestly say that we are even happier now than we were then! Also, my best friend and his best friend — who we both went to high school with — are also married! It's like we created our own mini family together, and we have been having fun and traveling together ever since!"
—BuzzFeed User
7. "I started dating my wife in 2012, during the summer before our junior year of high school, and we just got married on our 10-year anniversary. Of course, over the decade, we've had ups and downs, but we have always stuck together like glue. We handle things as a unit, which has helped us in our relationships and in parenting our two amazing daughters."
8. "I met my husband during my sophomore year. I was dating a friend of his, and two weeks after we broke up, he asked his friend if it was OK to ask me out. My ex laughed and said, 'Go ahead — she'll say, 'No.' We'll be celebrating our silver wedding anniversary this December."
9. "I married my high school sweetheart when we were both 18. I can't lie and say it was as easy as it might have been if we had waited until we matured as individuals, but I would never wish to change it. The secret has been focusing on our friendship as the foundation of our relationship. Even during rough times, we approach problems as best friends looking for a joint solution."
—BuzzFeed User
10. "We got married right out of high school because I got pregnant, and while I was pregnant, he cheated on me. We recently got divorced because of his narcissistic tendencies and manipulative behavior, and he's currently with his affair partner. The only thing I don't regret was having my daughter. I just regret having her with the wrong person."
—BuzzFeed User
11. "I've been proud to watch and help my husband grow and change over the years, and I appreciate the things about him that haven't changed since we were teenagers. We know we're lucky to have found someone we were compatible with at such a young age, and we work hard at communicating effectively so we don't mess it up."
—BuzzFeed User
12. "We got together at 17, and got married five years later. The relationship was comfortable, but far from thrilling. I stayed because it was safe and stable, but then when I was 31, I realized that I'm a lesbian, and that I can't continue being in an unfulfilling relationship with a man."
"Looking back, the signs were there for a long time, but I ignored them because leaving seemed scary. But now I'm living with my girlfriend and waiting to finalize my divorce. I wish I'd dated around more and explored my interest in women when I was younger, because once I started dating a girl, it felt blindingly obvious that I'm gay!"
—BuzzFeed User
13. "We started dating when we were 17, and we were not good for each other or to each other. We ended up breaking up, getting back together, and breaking up again — typical young love kind of stuff. We eventually got back together during our senior year of college, and our families were unsupportive. But after we graduated, moved in together, and our families saw how much happier and more mature we were than when we were those stupid 17-year-olds, they all came around."
—BuzzFeed User
14. "I married my high school sweetheart when we were 24 years old after a long engagement. We were married for 10 years and had three kids, but he cheated on me multiple times, and I eventually fell out of love. I am now 36, and we are divorcing, but I'm happy because it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved. I really thought he was the love of my life, but I'm now mature enough to realize he wasn't. We grew up in different directions instead of together."
—BuzzFeed User
15. "I met my husband in high school, but we didn't start seeing each other until we were 20 and 21. We were super close friends for a while, but we fell out of touch after I graduated, and then we ran back into each other out in the world and slipped right back into being best friends. While we weren't exactly high school sweethearts, it is pretty special for us to have known each other more than half our lives and have gotten to see each other grow and evolve. We have so many inside jokes and stupid stories we laugh about, and it really is like I'm married to my best friend. So whenever we tell people how long we've known each other, they ask if we were high school sweethearts, and we laugh and laugh. There's no way we would've ended up together if we were! We needed the friendship and the time to come together."
16. "Forty years ago, I was a junior in high school, and I said 'Goodbye' to the love of my short life for the last time. Her name was Annie, and she was heading to college 350 miles away. The pain was palpable, my world dimmed, and nothing looked the same. At times, I wished I'd never met her. Fast-forward 40 years, and I set out to find her. It only took one phone call, and we were hooked! We got married, and it has been bliss ever since."
17. "Nobody is perfect, but if you keep open and close to one another, you build a shared history like you couldn’t imagine!"
—BuzzFeed User
18. "We met when we were 16, started dating at 18, and had a pretty decent life together before getting married at 26. She cheated on me immediately after the wedding, and though we stayed together for three more years, I found out she had a yearlong affair with that person again during our last year together. Eventually, I realized how many aspects of our relationship were toxic that I ignored because we were so young and naive when we started dating. I learned more about myself in the year after we separated than I did our whole relationship! And while I don't regret our relationship, I do regret marrying her, as I knew something wasn't quite right but couldn't put my finger on it."
19. "We met when we were 14 and dated on and off through high school. The summer going into senior year, we both wanted to lose our virginity, so we started hanging out...and never stopped. We've been together for 12 years and just celebrated one year of marriage!"
20. "I met my husband in sixth grade, and before I even knew who he was, I saw him and told my best friend I was going to marry him. We dated off and on from seventh grade through tenth grade, and then I got pregnant at 16. We got married a few months before our daughter was born, and now have three beautiful kids. He's the love of my life and my best friend. We grew up together, and we were there for each other through some really tough times and some really great ones. He's the reason I believe in soulmates."
And finally:
21. "We're still together 20 years later, and he's making me tacos right now."
