How to Talk to Your Teen About Twilight

Teens, love and Twilight

Like the Harry Potter series before it, the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer has been lauded for getting teens and tweens excited about reading, but since the target audience for the books is almost exclusively young women ages 12-18, parents may not have a good sense of what their teens are actually reading about in this series. Whether your child is Team Edward all the way or a diehard Team Jacob fan, below are some ways you can approach talking to your teen (or tween)about Twilight.

Things You'll Need

• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

Instructions

1. Borrow the Twilight books from your local library and read them. Or if you're pressed for time, rent the first movie and watch it with your teen or tween. Chances are they'll think it's cool that you're interested in what they're interested in...you probably won't have to twist their arm to get them to watch the film again, either!

2. Use your Twilight bonding time to strike up a conversation with your child about the characters, their choices, and the way their decisions affect others around them. Doing this gives you the chance to see what kinds of messages your child is taking from the series, and to discuss the pros and cons of these messages.

3. Consider some of the following ideas for discussion with your teen:
   -How do you feel about the way Bella is portrayed in the novel?
   -What do you think about the way Edward treats Bella, particularly in New Moon?
   -Is Bella's relationship with Jacob a good way for her to heal her pain over losing Edward, or is it unhealthy, given that she knows Jacob is in love with her?
   -Why do you think Bella is so eager to become a vampire?
   -What motivates Jacob and Edward to be so protective of their families and way of life?
   -Is Edward right to give Bella the ultimatum that he won't make her a vampire until she marries him?
   -Do you believe in true love?
   -How is Bella's love for Jacob different from her love for Edward?

4. Remind your teen that Twilight is a novel, and that it is okay to make different choices than Edward, Bella and Jacob. Young marriage is not for everyone, for example, and the kind of obsessive teenage love that many of the characters feel is not the only kind of love out there. Ask your teen about how they decide what they are interested in and construct who they are at school, home and work.

5. If your child is seriously interested in vampires, direct them to some other vampire materials they can read after they finish devouring Twilight. The novels of Anne Rice, including the film Interview with a Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series are all great resources to help your vamp fan stay interested and enjoy reading (or film-watching) at a more advanced level.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage your teen to read by reading what they're into and learning how to talk about it. You don't have to harp on what you do or don't like about the Twilight books - the goal is simply to open up lines of communication so that your teen can learn how to critically analyze what they're reading.

• Deciding beforehand whether you're Team Jacob or Team Edward is a great way to break the ice when talking Twilight with your teen. Don't know what I'm talking about? Go read!