I did explain why I went to see T:NW in the article; I’m not certain why you think I need an editor – this is a personal website, and I think my writing is clear and fairly concise, so if you could point out any errors you noticed, I’d be glad to hear them.

Whether or not any man will ever love me, or whether or not I’ll ever have any kids doesn’t really have anything to do with what I’ve written; it’s an ad hominem attack that I think undermines everything else you have to say. So I’m just going to leave it there.

You’re welcome to raise your kid/s however you like; I hope that, one way or another, your kid/s find some good solid sex education, so they don’t get into a situation that ends up hurting them or negatively affecting the rest of their lives. I know, as a parent, you really don’t want to think about your 11 year old being sexually active, but the truth is that a lot of kids are becoming sexually active earlier and earlier. When I was 11, I knew kids my age who were experimenting or having sex, and there was a lot of peer pressure to do it.

Some of them grew up to be okay, finish high school, go on to college or university or whatever, and have happy lives. But quite a few of them got pregnant and dropped out of high school. The sex ed at our elementary school was insufficient, and I’m lucky that I had other places to turn for good information. I was a virgin until I was 18, but I knew more about sex, birth control and STI prevention than many of my sexually-active peers.

I’m not advocating that you tell your 11 year old to go have sex, but that you educate him or her so that they can make the right choices. I think the Twilight series encourages kids to have unrealistic ideas about sex and relationships – as you point out, it’s fiction, not fact, but to a kid, who obviously knows that vampires aren’t real, the other unrealistic stuff may not be so obvious.

Edward and Jacob are controlling of Bella in so many ways throughout the films; I actually think the way that Edward has final say over what happens in their relationship – physical and otherwise – is an example of how controlling he is.
Woman do rape men – it’s not as common, nor as well-known as men raping women, but it does happen. It’s definitely not new.

Any relationship is a negotiation between the people involved; sex should only happen between consenting participants.

My argument is that if a kid is going to see the film, it’s a parent’s responsibility to make sure that they understand clearly that what happens on the screen make make a fun story, but that it’s not a realistic example of how relationships work.

I’m certainly not claiming to be original – there are hundreds of other writers on the Internet saying what I’m saying about Twilight (http://www.google.ca/search?q=twilight+abusive+relationships&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a).

I think the ‘let kids be kids’ argument isn’t valid; why teach kids anything, in that case? Why put them in school, why teach them to read, why put them in organized sports? Why teach them to be responsible, safe, and healthy? Because you love them, and you want them to grow up and have loving relationships and good lives.

I hope that answers some of your questions. Thanks so much for writing!

“Why would a 32-year-old woman and her adult sisters would go see this movie?”

That’s what you wrote, not me. My advice to you, stop worrying about the “kids” you will never have with the man who will never love you, and get an editor.

These parents of the “kids” to which you refer constantly have been instructed by you to take their preteens to the nearest sexual health clinic which you have assured is great.

I personally will not direct my 11 year old to the clinic to pick up a few condoms just in case she feels ready to take the plunge after watching New Moon.

The Twilight Series ends with Bella and Edward first getting married and then having sex and then having a baby that is HALF VAMPIRE AND HALF HUMAN. Therefore, the child was first within wedlock and second FICTIONAL!!!

I am just not actually sure what part of anything you said had to do with the movie.

You refer first to a woman taking full control over her body, and then second to never taking a order from a man. In the movie Twilight Bella forces herself faster on Edward than he would like. He then pushes her a away. So your take on this? Bella has control so therefore should have been railed as she saw fit? Edward says no… now we have a new generation of women raping men.

Regardless, your point was made. You wanted to get to the parents. We cannot shelter children, we must expose them and teach them right from wrong. An unoriginal argument made time after time but valid none the less. My point, however, is that you picked the wrong film to target. The Twilight Saga has nothing to do with anything you presented in your argument as to why our preteens need to be buying condoms and preparing to fight off the control freaks and abusive men targeting them.

Can we just all settle down and let “kids” be “kids” and let them enjoy their love story. It’s a story, and yes media has an impact and influence… Blah blah blah. Stop arguing the obvious and let people enjoy the world.

Hahahaha you are ridiculous.

No, I don’t think girls should exclusively control when a relationship begins/ends – I might re-write that to make it more clear. I mostly mean that they determine who they associate with and when they stop associating with people.

I would say that it’s definitely a very bad movie – worse than the first one, even. But some part of me loves terrible movies. As I said, much more funny than any purpose-written comedy! I think the little girl beside me was shocked that I kept laughing.

As to why girls – and women – are interested in these kinds of characters, I really couldn’t tell you, even though I feel the pull myself.
I often wonder why men are so often interested in controlling, domineering, high-maintenance, tantrum-throwing women, too. Humans are a mystery. : )

I will only take issue with one suggestion, that girls should exclusively control when a relationship begins and when it ends. It should be a joint decision, or could optionally be his as well; to suggest otherwise means his heart is always at her mercy, and that is no better than the opposite.

What continues to puzzle me, even at this later age, is girls’ ongoing fascination with seemingly sicko, dark characters like the one you describe Edward as being. These types of sexy male “heroes” only exist because there is a market to support their existence, and sometimes voting with one’s wallet is the only way to send a message to those who keep producing this kind of material.

I agree that ultimately, kids will see what kids want to see, and I don’t advocate for censorship, but I also think that an act of empowerment can be one of resistance.

It’s been a pleasure reading you!