Tips for a successful relationship

Paige Hopkins, Backpage Editor

It’s that time of year again, Patriots: Valentine’s Day. When those in relationships walk around holding hands and proclaiming their love, and the rest of us… end up watching romantic comedies with our parents.
To help those of you still looking for love, Backpage has interviewed a few Patriots for their advice on what makes a successful relationship.
The first date, students told us, is absolutely critical. It can make or break the relationship—so you’ll want to come in bold. The key is to make a long-lasting impression.
“You want to achieve an air of mystery on the first date. Show up at least 30 minutes late. Or just don’t go,” Hope Leslee A. Lone said. “I’ve found that really creates some romantic tension.”
On the off-chance you do decide to show up to the date, absolutely do not be yourself. No one wants to know about that weird rash on your foot. Instead, pull stunts that are sure to impress.
“I know girls really like a bad boy, so I always try to commit at least one felony on the first date. Not like a really bad one, just class three or four. Two-year sentence tops,” Jay L. Bird said.
Once you’ve passed the ever-important first date mark, it’s all about maintaining a strong relationship.
While you can look to great couples like, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian and her 72-day husband, or Donald Trump and his daughter, for inspiration for maintaining a long-lasting relationship, Liberty Patriots also had some great advice.
“I’ve been dating my boyfriend for several months now, and I always make sure to slip some cute notes in his mailbox. Just things like ‘I think about you all the time’ or ‘I’ve seen you while you’re sleeping.’ I can’t help it, he just makes the cutest face when he’s terrified,” Kree P. said.
If you’re looking for an option less likely to result in a restraining order, other students recommend trying new things to keep the relationship fun.
“For our anniversary, I got my boyfriend to recreate that scene from The Notebook, you know the one where they lay in the middle of the street?” Brooke N. Legg said. “In retrospect, doing it during rush hour was a bad idea to begin with.”
However, other students had completely different advice.
“The key to a good relationship? Lots of space. I haven’t seen or heard from my girlfriend in months, and quite honestly, it’s been the best relationship of my life,” Dez R. Ted said. “Come to think of it I’m not even sure she’s in the country.”
So ultimately, if anything has been proved here, Patriots, it’s that dating is different for everyone. So if you want to watch your significant other as they sleep, commit a couple minor felonies, or whatever else, make sure you’ve got a good lawyer, and go for it. For some of us, not dating at all might be just fine. The last person Backpage talked to was utterly alone, yet blissfully happy.
“Yeah I suppose you could say I’ve never really dated anyone,” senior Rick James said. “My fish Harold is all I need to stay happy.”