 |
IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
What's in a Kiss?
by Wayne Grinwis, 04.26.02
"I like a warm and wet kiss, but I don't want to have to use a towel on my face afterwards." |
|
Kissing. Just the word alone can be exciting, anxiety-producing, and even amazing. On one hand, it's so simple. On the other, it's so complex. What do teens think about kissing? I recently talked to a group of teens about about kissing. Here's what they had to say:
"What I like best about kissing is that it's fun and it feels good. Kissing is a wonderful way to express how I feel about someone."
Kissing should be fun and feel good; otherwise, what's the point of doing it? And it is certainly one way to show someone how much you care for them.
So, what else do teens like about kissing? Here's what Byron said: "I like the romantic feelings that come with kissing and what it shows to my partner."
The closeness experienced during a kiss was what several teens mentioned. Lee confirmed this by saying, "I like looking into their eyes. Feeling the romance. The intimacy shared between two people."
While kissing can be wonderful, there can also be a downside. Omar quietly confided, "Kissing can get boring after awhile."
Susan agreed, saying, "I like it, but sometimes it starts to get old."
Hakim had a different dislike: "What I don't like is that bad feeling of, 'Umm...am I any good at this?'"
Katie said that she struggles with this: "Who makes the first move — it's so awkward sometimes!"
Noah agreed. He said, "It can be so uncomfortable sometimes. Should I kiss my partner? Which way should I turn my head? Ugh."
First kisses seemed to be awkward for just about everybody. Being nervous and concerned about whether or not you're "doing it right" can certainly lead to awkwardness.
When I asked teens about what makes for a great kiss, Terry told me, "It's great when it's with someone you really like and you're both really into it."
Kia said, "I want a kiss to be meant emotionally rather than physically."
Other qualities of a great kiss included eye contact beforehand, holding hands, and tenderness.
Conversely, when asked about what makes for a bad kiss, the number one response was, "When there is too much saliva."
It seems that too much sloppiness can be a problem. Hugh told me, "I like a warm and wet kiss, but I don't want to have to use a towel on my face afterwards."
Other kissing no-no's included moving your mouth or tongue too fast and biting the other person (ouch!).
I heard many responses when I asked about what the ultimate, best kiss would be like. Heath was really thinking. He said, "The ultimate kiss would be with the love of my life, looking over the Grand Canyon at sunset."
Alicia's idea was similar. "On a lifeguard stand at the beach while the sun was going down."
Both of them are so sweet, maybe I need to get them together!
Other responses to the ultimate kiss question included Pauline's. She said, "It would be something I was waiting for but not expecting. The ultimate kiss would mean something better was coming, like the beginning of a wonderful relationship."
Pat added, "It would be with someone I have strong feelings for."
Jorge confided, "We would be alone. Things would be casual and everything would be centered on the moment."
Many people think that kissing is such an important part of a romantic relationship; however, the teens I talked to all agreed that it wasn't that big a deal. When I asked how important it was that your partner was a good kisser, nobody thought it was very important. Christina said, "What matters is how I feel about the person, not how well the person kisses."
Alex agreed. "Sure, it's nice if someone's a good kisser. But if not, we can have fun becoming better kissers."
I got many wonderful responses when I asked about what advice they would give to other teens about kissing. Gloria suggested, "Have fun. Laugh when things happen, like hair getting in the way."
"Practice makes perfect. And talking about it sometimes helps, too," said Zoe.
I'll close with what may be the very best insight on the subject, which comes from Donnie, who suggested, "It's best to start slow and not go too fast." That's good advice on many levels. |
|
|
|
Printable Version
Email this page