FollowLast week I blogged about Twilight as the movie was released on DVD. In the last week, almost 30,000 people have clicked through this blog, mostly moms and young girls (My blog and website are being picked up by Google searches big time right now, and millions of young girls are doing “Twilight” searches… hence the heavy traffic).
The comments that have been posted on this blog are such an insight into the mind of a young teenage girl. My blog, addressed to parents and youth workers, asks the question, “Should I let my kids see Twilight?” I then link our article on the subject where I encourage parents and youth workers to talk about the movie with those who have watched it… but I also share my concerns, primarily the sensuality (i.e. the fact that a young girl is in her underwear and a t-shirt kissing a guy on her bed. Our article goes into detail).
Here’s where this gets amusing.
Realize… this film is very clean by today’s standards. There’s no sex or nudity at all– they only kiss. There is some violence, but as I said… VERY TAME by today’s standards. So most people in this world consider this film “clean.” And that’s probably why so many people are wondering why I could even ask the question, “Should I let my kids see Twilight?”
Kids just don’t see this as “a big deal.”
I love the comments I’ve been receiving. Here’s a few:
i read the books and saw the movie several times. originally i thought i wasn’t going to read it but i did and i LOVED it! i am 14 and i dont see anything wrong with it. the movie has only two kisses in it and the books arent graphic in kissing or anything. id say its for 8 and up. theres only one of the books i might stop my kid from reading, breaking dawn(the 4th book) because she becomes pregnant(so obviously she had sex). other than that i would say see the movie and get the book.
Left by Kate on Mar 31, 2009 5:46 PMYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TWILIGHT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER AND BARELY INAPPROPRIATE, SURE, A KISS, WHOOPTI DOO. A FRICKEN KISS. I DONT CARE!!!!!
Left by annonymous on Mar 31, 2009 6:42 PMI LOVE TWILIGT SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!
I have read all the books and am now on the last book for the third time!
I think kids should be alould to watch it cause it only has like two kisses in it!
Left by ! on Apr 01, 2009 10:13 AMtwilight is freakin AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! im 12 and ive read the entire series 3 times already. i read the last book(breaking dawn) after fighting with my mom and sis for a while, and i didnt find anything wrong with it. the movie, well theres nothing wrong with it. sure, theres 2 kisses ( i have seen the movie like 10 times already) but really, isnt there more than that in like every movie? i say you let ur kids watch and read it.
Left by anonymous on Apr 01, 2009 7:33 PMI don’t think there is anything wrong with kids watching the movie Twilight, or reading the book for that matter. There is no profanity, no sex, no drugs, no alcohol. There really is only one violent scene in the movie, and it’s really not even that bad. It’s a love story, but not a mushy-gushy make-out-all-the-time movie. In fact, they only kiss twice in the whole movie. The book is a little more mushy but back to the point – youth are going crazy over this book and I think it’s a great fictional story! Go Twilight!
Left by jessica on Apr 01, 2009 10:17 PMYOU HAVE TO WATCH IT, IT IS A MUST SEE MOVIE
seriously, its awesome there is only one little kiss, big deal
WATCH IT!
Left by cindy on Apr 02, 2009 2:54 PMOMG I just turned 12 today and I read all of the Twilight books and saw the movie when I was 11. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Edward and Bella are madly in love. Who cares if they kiss 2 times??? Yeah, Breaking Dawn (Book 4)has sex in it, but like jessica said, they are already married and their is no description. I luv Twilight. THey are one of the best books I ever read in my life!!!!! I wish I could find someone like Edward!!!
Left by Zhanee’ on Apr 02, 2009 3:36 PM
You can read all the comments here.
I think the comments speak for themselves. “A kiss. What’s the big deal.”
And that’s exactly what I was talking about in my original article about the film. The subtle messages of Twilight are just that: “This is no big deal.” “Wouldn’t it be cool if a guy cared about you this much, loved you this much, and would come and kiss you in your bedroom like this, controlling his desires because of his great love!”
I think I have to agree with the mom whose response I posted in this blog. Sorry kids… he doesn’t exist.
One of the most common questions kids ask me when I speak on sex is, “How come it’s so difficult to stop when I’m making out?”
My answer is always, “Because God designed it to where you aren’t supposed to stop. He gave us sex to enjoy… and it’s a process that starts with kissing and grows and progresses like a wildfire from there.” (my seminar on the topic)
It’s actually been “affirming” reading the comments to this blog all week. I think the comments seem to confirm our original suspicions and concerns even more.
Posted in Entertainment Media, Movies, Sexuality, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment
Jonathan,
I agree completely with you on the subject matter of ‘the kiss’, or kissing.
I agree what these deep desires and passions will result in due to the mindset of “just kissing”, but the negativity of everyones comments out weighs so much of the good in these stories.
Yes there might not be an ‘Edward’ out there for everyone, as you so approve of this mom’s blog post, but I disagree. The reason there isn’t an Edward out there is because of families who do not take to time to teach their children of what an Edward should be.
They don’t discipline there sons into treating a woman right, they don’t set a good fatherly example of how a husband should be there for his wife. And mothers do not teach their daughters to hold out for someone as valuable as the husband they should wait for. Instead girls end up settling for what they think are their desires.
I know several men…men’s stories in the Bible, who have shown such favor in the sight of God, that they take care of their wives.
To say, there’s no such thing as an Edward is wrong. It may be difficult to find, but most of times that child didn’t know what to look for.
I pray that children and teens will see the good that this series has, like the courtesy of a gentlemen to understand a desire to wait til he’s married to have sex, that true love is passionate and giving yourself completely to your spouse, and knowing that it is a struggle and desire that overtakes you when things get too far.
This story has faults, but it’s so Christian to overlook the positives, and just be what Christians are known for a lot of the time…just being negative.
Chris… I agree that we shouldn’t be negative or whiny as Christians. Take a peek at what we’ve posted- I’ve actually taken heat for posting a “good” review of the film- and I told parents not to over react if their kids have seen the film, but to use it as a springboard for conversation. I don’t think that’s being negative.
But at the same time, I AM going to talk with my girls about the subtle messages of this film and the fact that it’s not a good idea to allow things to get this sensual with someone- even if you love him. I’ll even give examples- like letting a guy in your room at night. Not a good idea.
Looking at the comments to the blog I linked above, you can see that young girls are ignorant of this.
Yes Chris, there are some great guys out there. Guys after God’s own heart. But even David fell to sexual sin. My daughters are going to know to “flee” sexual temptations. That’s not negativity. That’s just truth.
I hope that helps clarify.
I am 14, I read the books becaues I got bored one day and I loved them. I am like obssesed with these books, there really needs to be a 5 book! The kiss, well it was more loving, the sex, she always skips over. Its a very intwining love story that… everyone should read! Every guy should be more like Edward! Or even.. *shudder* Jacob. Bite me.
this movie is the best anyone can agree.there is actualy more love scenes in the last three books. teenage girls everywhere are reading it. there is not anything inopropriat about this book
Hi, I’m a 17 yr old girl who has read the twilight series. I am a pastor’s kid, and i told my mom about the books. At first she was skeptical b/c it’s about vampires and warewolves but once i told her the story she told me that is was pure love is all about. You know you have desires but you wait, love is not suppose to be about having sex it’s about loving that some1 b/c they respect you and treat you right and are not askin you to do that. We as Cristians know that we’re not suppose to have sex until we are married and this book does not promote sex. It promotes a pure love not based on your desires but on respecting one another. Sometimes Cristians just look at the negatives in life & yes they exist but it’s the world we live in we know whats wrong and right and this book isn’t wrong.GBY!!!
Sexual/emotional overtones aside, one thing nobody seems to be mentioning is the fact that this series revolves around vampires. Is it healthy or appropriate for Christians to become so immersed in fiction that doesn’t pay honor to God, but rather lifts up occultic characters? The same objections apply to Harry Potter as well. A relevant scripture that comes to mind is Philippians 4:8-9.
I like the books, but, A: They messed up the movies horridly the actress that plays Bella messed up big time and they left out a lot of important forshadowing elements. That said, I don’t believe in sex or kissing before marriage and I know a lot of people think that is weird. Seriously When I tell people about how I view it they look at me like I’m a freak. The media is way oversexed altogether and has lots of offensive materials and your teens are gonna watch stuff with their friends that you don’t know about. I think the most important thing is that you talk about the subject with your kids so that the media isn’t the only one that they are forming their believes from. But you do need to realize in the end NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO your kids are going to make their own choices and I think that it is important that you support the fact that it is their choice (you don’t have to support the choice) Eventually they won’t have you around to control them and their are either going to stick with what they’ve been taught or they are goin to make a few mistakes but eventually they will learn you just need to make sure that you are talking to them because what you say will make them think more and the more they think about what God says about relationships the more likely they are to make good choices.
Twilight MySpace comments with graphics and sayings from the Stephenie Meyer series of books about Bella & Edward. There are Twilight movie images and quotes from Twilight and Breaking Dawn, New Moon and Eclipse.
Hi,i’m shalom and i was a pastor’s kid..i’ll just want to say that vampires aren’t good to know by teenagers and that JESUS is coming SOON! maybe its
out of topic but i saw a comment that she was a pastor’s kid and her parents told her that the books were not good and he insist herself.
i also read those books and my parents saw me reading it and they said that i musn’t read the book and since then i never read the book. i am not convincing you not to read them but as teenagers we must obey our dear parents cause they know what’s right for us. i am not whiny or negative about the books but we shouldn’t mess up our generation. i lived in the Philippines and i know Filipinos are such idiots for foreigners but i don’t believe it.
as teenagers we musn’t think that kissing is alright.
i am not negative because i’m christian
JESUS THE ONLY SAVIOR!
RISE UP YOUTH! DON’T MESS UP OUR GENERATION!