Kids, age 5 to 10, were asked what they thought of love, kissing, and marriage. Here we offer a small sampling of the children’s innocent wonder about these weighty topics.
“Love is like an avalanche where
you have to run for your life.”
—John, 9
“If falling in love is anything like
learning how to spell, I don’t want to
do it. It takes too long.”
—Glenn, 7
“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, 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, 9
“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
“It gives me a headache to think about that stuff. I’m just a kid.
I don’t need that kind of trouble.”
—Kenny, 7
“It’s never okay to kiss a boy. They always slobber all over you.
That’s why I stopped doing it.”
—Tammy, 10
“The rule 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, 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, 10
“Love is foolish . . . but I still might try it
sometime.”
—Floyd, 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, 8
“When a person gets kissed for the first
time, they fall down, and they don’t get
up for at least an hour.”
—Wendy, 8
“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, 9
“If it’s your mother, you can kiss her
anytime. But if it’s a new person, you have
to ask permission.”
—Roger, 6
“One of the people has freckles, and
so he finds somebody else who has
freckles too.”
—Andrew, 6
“Lovers will just be staring at each
other, and their food will get cold.
Other people care more about the
food.”
—Brad, 8
“No person really decides before they
grow up who they’re going to marry.
God decides it all way before, and you
get to find out later who you’re stuck
with.”
—Kirsten, 10
“One way to fall in love is to take
the girl out to eat. Make sure it’s
something she likes to eat. French
fries usually works for me.”
—Bart, 9
“Dates are for having fun, and people
should use them to get to know each
other. Even boys have something to
say if you listen long enough.”
—Lynnette, 8
“Tell your wife that she looks pretty
even if she looks like a truck!”
—Ricky, 7
“Be a good kisser. It might make your
wife forget that you never take out the
trash.”
—Erin, 8
“Don’t say you love somebody and then change your mind. Love
isn’t like picking what movie you want to watch.”
—Natalie, 9