Thursday, December 4, 2008

Twilight: Confronting the Controversy

(This is my response to the questions on morality in the Twilight series.)

Reasons my children will be allowed to read the Twilight series:

Edward has qualities rarely idealized of teenage boys in media: chivalrous, commited, loyal, chaste, protective (to a fault) and self-controlled.

Both Jacob and Edward's family characters provide ample opportunities to teach lessons on putting off the natural man and controlling appetites.

The heroine chooses the mature, self-controlled boy rather than the less mature, unpredictable boy.

Premarital sex is shunned.

The heroine, as a married woman, shuns infidelity.

The heroine gets to experience the wonders of motherhood before the saga ends.

The Cullens are a "forever family." (Haha!)

My children will be reading.

My children will be reading something I have read.

The series can invite parent-child discussion about dating, marriage, making decisions, communicating with parents, good versus evil, disguised temptations, and fantasy versus reality.

No comments: