Dear Ann Landers,
am a fifteen-year-old girl who is awfully mixed up. The first problem is that I am a preacher's daughter and everybody expects me to be perfect. My parents are very strict. They keep reminding me that I have to live up to my station in life. I hate feeling that I am different from other girls my age, but that's the way it is, and I have accepted it. Two weeks ago a very nice boy walked me home from choir practice. Just before we reached our block he kissed me. I felt so guilty I couldn't sleep. A week later it happened again. Although I have prayed forgiveness, I feel I should tell my parents, but I can't bring myself to do it. I'm afraid I would be restricted for life. This morning I was so nervous I couldn't go to school. I told my mother I had a stomachache (which was true), but I'm sure my worries caused it. Can you help? -Ashamed Of Myself

Dear Ashamed,
You need to have a long talk with your school counselor. I hope she tells you that kissing a boy is not a sin, and it is not necessary to report this to your parents. It is normal for a fifteen-year-old girl to want to be kissed by a boy. 198 So long as the boy keeps his hands where they belong and you keep the situation under control, you need not feel guilty.