DEAR ABBY: I'm 15 years old, and I'm afraid to kiss! I won't date anyone because I'm afraid my kiss will suffer by comparison. I know no one becomes an expert without practice, but I don't want anyone to be my first kiss.
Several guys are into me, but I can't date them because eventually they'll want to kiss. It would be so embarrassing to be horrible at it. Any advice? -- TOO FREAKED OUT TO MAKE OUT
DEAR FREAKED OUT: Kissing isn't a competitive sport, so stop worrying that you won't measure up. A kiss doesn't have to be the way it's portrayed in the movies, with heavy breathing and mouths agape. Whether a guy wants to kiss you isn't as important as whether you want him to kiss you. If you do, all you have to do is close your eyes, tilt your head a bit to the side and lean in. He will take care of the rest.
I remember my first "real" kiss. I was 12, and my parents had decided to move from Wisconsin to California. I had a crush on a 16-year-old usher at the local movie theater. (He looked so handsome in his uniform!) Two weeks before we were scheduled to leave, I summoned the courage to approach him after a show, told him I was leaving, and asked if he'd give me my first real kiss. Once he got over his visible surprise, he did. It was sweet, gentle, chaste, and I've never forgotten it.