They may not make up your core customer base, but a new report suggests teenage boys are looking for love — and old-fashioned, flower-giving romance.

The report, published in the February 2008 issue of Journal of Adolescence, "paints a far different picture of teen boys than the stereotype of testosterone-fueled youth," according to a recent New York Times story. To compile the report, researchers at the State University of New York at Oswego surveyed a sample of heterosexual 10th-grade boys, asking them questions about their reasons for dating and experiences with sex. More than 80 percent of the boys said the "primary motivation" for dating a person was "I really like the person," not physical attraction. (Researchers admit that, while they "cannot assess the truthfulness of the boys' answers," the level of sexual activity among the sample — 40 percent — is consistent with national averages.)

"Let's give boys more credit," said study author Andrew Smiler, an assistant professor of psychology at the university. "Although some of them are just looking for sex, most boys are looking for a relationship. The kids we know mostly aren't like this horrible stereotype. They are generally interested in dating and getting to know their partners."

For her part, Tina Stoecker, AIFD, PFCI, of Designs of the Times Florist, Inc., in Melbourne, Fla., isn't surprised by the report findings. In fact, Stoecker says her shop has many teen and young adult customers who take "a great deal of time to select just the right flower."

"I believe it is to the advantage of a florist to cater to these young men by asking questions about the girlfriend and offering romantic suggestions," says Stoecker. "No matter how long the relationship, 50 minutes to 50 years, the gift of flowers is remembered for a lifetime.  I often hear women speak of the men they've dated, and the ones that they remember fondly are those who send them flowers for no reason."

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

  

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