Dear Drew and Emily,

I started dating a guy this summer and we really hit it off. We hung out a lot and talked everyday, and I could totally see myself falling in love with him.

The issue is that he goes to school out of state and I’m here in Iowa.

We agreed to try and make it work, but now that I’m back at Simpson I’m having second thoughts. I don’t want to be worried about what he’s doing all the time and I also don’t want to miss out on anything while I’m here.

So, what should I do? Do I try and keep things working, since I do like him. OR do I call it quits and see what Simpson has to offer?

Sincerely, Summer Lovin

He Said…

First question, what year are you? Why? Because, if you’re a freshman you really have no need to worry about not finding something after you break it off. There are plenty of upperclassmen that are dying to catch some fresh-meat. And if you’re an upperclassman, there’s a whole new batch of freshmen ripe for the picking.

Secondly, are you a guy or girl? This matters. We all know the guys hate sleeping alone and if he’s even remotely cute then I guarantee you he’s already found a spooning partner and well, we all know that spooning leads to forking.

But even if you’re a girl, you can still follow my advice, because turns out, all men seem to have the spooning problem and little heter-romeo is probably doing the same thing.

Either way, drop the boy like he’s a hot tamale.

For starters, you don’t want to have to worry about “the morning after call.” Like Shandi had to deal with on season two of America’s Next Top Model. When she gets drunk, cheats on her boyfriend and wakes up the next morning to realize her terrible mistake. So she has to call her boyfriend, drowning in tears confessing and begging forgiveness. Yea, that’s no fun for anyone.

So keep it simple. No boyfriend means no cheating possibilities; you are free to make as many drunken mistakes as you want. Trust me I’m speaking from an all too recent experience.

So it was easy to talk everyday and hang out at the arcade, just like little Sandy and Danny. But, now that you’re both back at school you have plenty of other things to worry about, you said it yourself, you’re having second thoughts.

So have fun, be young and enjoy college.

She Said…

Well, SummerLovin, to be completely honest – if you already doubt your commitment to this out-of-state Romeo… then the chances of survival are slim to none.

In order for any sort of long-distance relationship to work there has to be full commitment on each end of the spectrum. There also has to be complete trust-so that you both aren’t always left wondering what the other’s doing. Or if you’ll upset them by going out and having a good time. Basically, trust equals keeping your sanity.

If you give it some thought as well as a weekend or two to let the novelty of being back at Simpson wears off. You need to decide whether you still want to give this out-of-state Romeo a shot. If so, here is some advice.

First things first, make sure your cell phone plan includes a high dosage of minutes and enough texting for a family of five. Myself, I’m not a huge texter, but if that is your communication tool of choice – then let’s be sure you don’t go broke in the process.

Secondly, go for the splurge at Walmart and buy yourself a WebCam. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did ;). And last but not least, please don’t lock yourself in your room just because your partner is miles away. It sounded as though you were worried about losing your freedom by being with him, but if the relationship doesn’t allow you to be exactly who you are then it’s not the relationship for you.

Now, if you still don’t feel ready for the work that comes with a distance relationship, that’s ok! From personal experience, I don’t think anyone is quite ready for the task until they have met someone who is worth the fight. Maybe out-of-state Romeo just doesn’t have what it takes to tame you?

No one is saying that if you cut the ties and keep the memories that it’ll brand you a horrible person. People need change, relationships end, and life goes on.