Kids’ Ideas About Love, Kids, aged 5 to 10, were asked questions about what they thou???? ?
Love and Marriage:
"If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too long." — Glenn, age 7
"Love is like an avalanche where you have to run for your life." — John, age 9
"I think you’re supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn’t supposed to be so painful." — Manuel, age 8
"No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That’s why perfume and deodorant are so popular." — Mae, age 9
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." — Greg, age 8
"Once I’m done with kindergarten, I’m going to find me a wife." — Tom, age 5
"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date." — Mike, 10
"I’m in favor of love as long as it doesn’t happen when Dinosaurs is on television." — Jill, age 6
"One of the people has freckles, and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too." — Andrew, age 6
"My mother says to look for a man who is kind. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll find somebody who’s kinda tall and handsome." — Carolyn, age 8
"It gives me a headache to think about that stuff. I’m just a kid. I don’t need that kind of trouble." — Kenny, age 7
"One of you should know how to write a check. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills." — Ava, age 8
"When somebody’s been dating for a while, the boy might propose to the girl. He says to her, ‘I’ll take you for a whole life, or at least until we have kids and get divorced.’" — Anita, 9
"I’m not rushing into being in love. I’m finding fourth grade hard enough." — Regina, age 10
"Most men are brainless, so you might have to try more than once to find a live one." — Angie, age 10
"A man and a woman promise to go through sickness and illness and diseases together." — Marlon, age 10
"[Being] single is better . . . for the simple reason that I wouldn’t want to change no diapers. Of course, if I did get married, I’d figure something out. I’d just phone my mother and have her come over for some coffee and diaper-changing." — Kirsten, age 10
"Love is foolish…but I still might try it sometime." — Floyd, age 9
"Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me." — Dave, age 8
Kissing:
"When a person gets kissed for the first time, they fall down, and they don’t get up for at least an hour." — Wendy, age 8
"You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR, ’cause she’ll want to have videos of the wedding." — Jim, age 10
"Never kiss in front of other people. It’s a big embarrassing thing if anybody sees you. But if nobody sees you, I might be willing to try it with a handsome boy, but just for a few hours." — Kally, age 9
"You learn [how to kiss] right on the spot when the gooshy feelings get the best of you." — Doug, age 7
"If it’s your mother, you can kiss her anytime. But if it’s a new person, you have to ask permission." — Roger, age 6
"It’s never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you. That’s why I stopped doing it." — Tammy, age 10
"I know one reason kissing was created. It makes you feel warm all over, and they didn’t always have electric heat or fireplaces or even stoves in their houses." — Gina, age 8
"The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn’t want to mess with that." — Curt, age 7
"The rules goes like this: if you kiss someone, then you should marry her and have kids with her. It’s the right thing to do." — Howard, age 8
(on seeing a couple kissing) "He is trying to steal her chewing gum!" — Boy, age 6
Beauty:
"If you want to be loved by somebody who isn’t already in your family, it doesn’t hurt to be beautiful." — Anita, age 8
"Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time." — Christine, age 9
"It isn’t always how you look. Look at me. I’m handsome like anything, and I haven’t got anybody to marry me yet." — Brian, age 7
How People In Love Act:
"Lovers will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold. Other people care more about the food." — Brad, age 8
"They act mooshy. Like puppy dogs, except puppy dogs don’t wag their tails nearly as much." — Arnold, age 10
"All of a sudden, the people get movies fever so they can sit together in the dark." — Sherm, age 8
"Romantic adults usually are all dressed up, so if they are just wearing jeans it might mean they used to go out or they just broke up." — Sarah, age 9
"It’s love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it’s just like how their hearts are — on fire." — Christine, age 9
"See if the man picks up the check. That’s how you can tell if he’s in love." — John, age 9
"Many daters just eat pork chops and french fries and talk about lo