Tried kissing. Eh. Would it be bad to take things further?

[francisforever]

I recently got into my first relationship and have no prior sexual experience. So far, all I've done with my partner is kiss, but that honestly hasn't been very good. I'm not sure if it's because I'm bad at it because I've never done it before or if I just don't like kissing. It's become frustrating for both of us, and I think I want to take things further, but I don't know if that's a bad idea at this point when even kissing seems weird to me.

[Sam W]

Hi francisforever,

Some people just don't enjoy kissing, though if this is all very new to you, it may also be that some of this is learning how to kiss in a way that both you and your partner enjoy. When you say kissing feels "weird," does that mean it feels boring or unpleasant? Does it not feel as good as you were expecting? Something else? And what parts of it are frustrating you and your partner?

Too, you don't have to be good at, or even enjoy, kissing in order to explore other sexual things with a partner. Sex with another person doesn't have to follow a specific progression of activities; you get to pick and choose what you do and don't try based on your likes, dislikes, and boundaries. Have the two of talked about exploring other things at all?