Children viewing Twilight/Moon

  • Thread starter Thread starter bjj
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bjj

Guest
How do you feel about children watching the movies Twilight and Moon? My head tells me there is no reason why our children need to be exposed to such garbage. Although we are hearing, “everyone else’s parents are allowing them to see it”. Our kids are at a Catholic school and we do not follow ‘everyone else’s parents’, but it makes a person wonder if we might be a bit too strict.
 
bjj said:
How do you feel about children watching the movies Twilight and Moon? My head tells me there is no reason why our children need to be exposed to such garbage. Although we are hearing, “everyone else’s parents are allowing them to see it”. Our kids are at a Catholic school and we do not follow ‘everyone else’s parents’, but it makes a person wonder if we might be a bit too strict.
Click to expand...
I don’t think it’s a big deal for children to see those movies, well at least Twilight. Apart from having vampires (which don’t eat people), I don’t think there’s anything un Catholic in the movies.
 
bjj said:
How do you feel about children watching the movies Twilight and Moon? My head tells me there is no reason why our children need to be exposed to such garbage. Although we are hearing, “everyone else’s parents are allowing them to see it”. Our kids are at a Catholic school and we do not follow ‘everyone else’s parents’, but it makes a person wonder if we might be a bit too strict.
Click to expand...
I’m 29, married w/ children. I saw the movie and liked it a lot. BUT I definitely wouldn’t let children watch them. The sexual tension/innuendo was inappropriate for children, IMO. Like how old are we talking? I think someone 17-18 or so *might *be ok to watch it. It’s not the vampire thing that’s objectionable, for the most part… that’s just sci-fi (again IMO). But the other subject matter (relationship drama) is really too mature for younger teens.

My folks kept me back from a huge amount of secular culture up until I was about 16 or so. It really was the best thing they did for me… even though I felt out of the loop sometimes. I was too young to understand that it really wasn’t a loop that was good for me to be in. But they knew better, as good parents do. 👍
stay strong! 🙂
 
Children meaning what age? My daughter is 14, she was 13 last year when we saw Twilight. We both really liked it actually. We’ve read the whole series, I read it before she did because she wanted to read them so I wanted to check them out first. Not for little kids, but I think for teens its fine.
 
I teach 5th grade in a Catholic school, and last year I had lots of parents asking my opinion on the series. I read the books and recommended that the parents not allow the kids to read the books until 8th or 9th grade. The books are highly sexual, but it is done very subtly. The main character Bella is obsessed with the vampire’s looks, and this makes up 40% of the storyline (maybe not, but it seems like that). The first book is not so bad, but it just gets worse. Also, the concept of a pathetic personality-less girl who gives up her own life to be with a perfect vampire is sad and not at all empowering. Stephen Greydatus reviews the movie on www.decentfilms.com - check that out. He does great reviews from a Catholic and family standpoint. At the very least, I would recommend that any parent allowing their child to read these books also read the books with them, which opens up any discussion.
 
I’ve seen Twilight and plan to see New Moon at midnight 🙂 👍 I’ve also read all the books several times. I’m 28 though.

If my daughter wants to read the books/watch the movies when she’s 16+ then I won’t have a problem with letting her. But by then the fad will be over, so we’ll see.

It really depends on how old your daughter is and what you already let her watch. Is she watching Vampire Diaries, 90210, or any of those things? I thing those shows are much WORSE than Twilight, especially for the sexual content.
 
Here are some criticisms of Twilight:
  1. The girl is presented as clumsy and average, and the boy is presented as perfect and sparkly. And the girl is obsessed with the boy’s perfection and sparkliness. Not exactly an empowering message to young girls.
  2. The boy is a hundred years old, and has no compunctions about wooing a seventeen-year-old girl, which by itself is pretty creepy, but it also leads to…
  3. The couple shares no common interests. But they are attracted to how each other smells though, which is important, right? :rolleyes:
  4. The boy spies on the girl without her permission (enters her room at night), reads her friends minds to find out about her… he’s not only pedophilic creepy, he’s also a stalker creepy?
  5. The girl is willing to sacrifice everything (friends, family, mortality) for the boy to be with him despite all of the above… whereas he doesn’t have to sacrifice anything. He still gets to be with his friends and ‘family’. Rather than being active and social when she’s apart from the boy, all she does is pine about him. And she repeatedly puts herself in danger just to be with him. Again, therefore not very empowering for girls.
 
I watched Twilight and found Edward Cullen to be a creepy snorefest of vampire. On Decent Films, I found this article. However, I think Twilight is alot better fare than say “Interview with a Vampire” with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.
 
Hi All,

I, too, read the whole series to see what the hype was about. I was sick. :eek: This is sending so many wrong messages to our kids, it’s crazy! She is TOO YOUNG to be thinking about sex, marriage, babies, and giving up so much for a guy. And not just a guy, but a superhero/mythological creature. This is telling our girls that some handsome, charming, dangerous man is going to come and fix all of their problems for them and that it’s not necessary to think for themselves. Now this new movie has her being promiscuous with two mythical creatures who are fighting over her! HUH?! This is NOT how I want my daughter to view the world. Good looks, charm, and superpowers are nice, but come on, folks, this stuff does not exist in the real world. This series glamorizes sex, looks, teen marriage and motherhood, giving up dreams and education and even immortality. Is this really how we want our daughers to think men should be? Do we really want our sons thinking that’s what they have to be to get a woman’s attention? It’s all wrong. At least Harry Potter shows the value of hard work, education, problem solving, and teamwork even if it does have some questionable themes as well.

-Hope
 
I think the movies are worse about the sexual innuendo than the books are (except breaking dawn). I think it goes back to the age of the children. Should 4th graders be seeing these or reading the books, no way. But 7th and 8th graders, probably, depending on the individual child 's maturity.

But I wish people didn’t keep saying what a bad example the books set. Bella is a unusually mature young woman, due to the fact she has cared for her mother throughout her life. She makes a choice to be with Edward, I thought woman power was all about being able to make choices. After making this choice, Edward leaves her (trying to save her). She is obviously devastated the way a wife would be if her husband over the course of 2 or 3 days decided to leave her. She does begin to move on after a couple months. And as for the obsession with looks, I would like to quote Twilight
“Oh well. He is unbelievably gorgeous.” Jessica shrugged as if this excused any
flaws. Which in her book, it probably did.
“There’s a lot more to him than that.”
“Really? Like what?”
(…)
“I can’t explain it right… but he’s even more unbelievable behind the face.”
Obviously Bella values more than just his looks. Which I think sets a fairly good example. Bella and Edward both feel that the other is better than themselves. Read the partial draft of Midnight Sun. Edward thinks he isn’t good enough for Bella, and tries to stay away, but she keeps pushing it. The couple does share common interests, such as their choice in music. Who is Edward allowed to woo? A hundred year old lady? Or because he is (in his mind) cursed with eternal life is he not allowed to fall in love. Ignoring the fact he keeps pointing this out and Bella refuses to hear it. Finally, just because Edward doesn’t have to sacrifice anything doesn’t mean that this relationship is bad. What about in real life, if one person’s parents disapprove (for some invalid reason)? What if that person’s family cuts them out for a valid choice of partner? Does that mean that that person shouldn’t marry their intended spouse because their intended’s family does approve?

Oh and don’t forget that Edward (the evil one apparently) is the one pushing for them to wait for sex until marriage.
 
Arwen,

Yes, but do you think a 17 year old, no matter how mature, should be having sex out of wedlock, having a baby, getting married, and dealing with such adult issues? No way! Of course everybody is entitled to their opinions, but in mine, this series is just TRASH! We need more HUMAN heroes who demonstrate humanity, virtue, and morality. Edward Cullen does not fit into this category. At all. :nope:

-Hope
 
Actually, they never have sex before they are married. And they don’t get married until after she graduates from high school, and she doesn’t actually become a vampire until after she has given birth to their first child. So, once they are married, they have sex and then have a baby. I think that here in the non abc using world, that sets a pretty good example.

I think it is pretty realistic. Sometimes (especially during the teen years) you want someone or they want you and it has nothing to do with whether they are good for you or not. Maybe it is just because they smell good. And Bella never has sex with Edward (he always stops things) and she never has sex with Jake, even though they both want to (because she loves Edward).
 
And by the way bjj,

You’re not being too strict. You love your children and you want them to be good, upstanding, contributing members of society who demonstrate Christ’s love to all. This is our job as parents. God has entrusted us with these beautiful children and it is our job in word, deed, and example to show them how to be virtuous, moral, and Christlike. We are bombarded with this garbage as a test. To me this is like Jesus being tested by the Devil in the desert. Satan wants to lead us and our children down the wrong path. The choices we make for our children now will not only reflect on who they will be as adults, but also how they view the world. Be strong and know that the right thing is most often times the hardest to do. :sad_yes:

Hope
 
bjj said:
How do you feel about children watching the movies Twilight and Moon? My head tells me there is no reason why our children need to be exposed to such garbage. Although we are hearing, “everyone else’s parents are allowing them to see it”. Our kids are at a Catholic school and we do not follow ‘everyone else’s parents’, but it makes a person wonder if we might be a bit too strict.
Click to expand...
As long as they understand that this kind of stuff is not real, I see no kind of problem with it. I’m sorry but I think some have gone too far - People gripe about how our kids no longer read but just watch TV - but then when some see them with a Harry Potter book or one of these they go nuts about it. Whatever happened to reading, enjoying but realizing that this stuff is just make believe (I know there are Wicca people out there and hey, that’s their right -so no offence ment to anyone out there who might be of that faith) - anyway, let the kids read and then watch the movies when they come out. Eventually the DVD will be out and/or it will be on HBO or Cinemax and the kids will see it anyway. Better for you to be aware of it (not have them being sneaky) and having open discussions about what they’ve seen or are going to see.
God Bless
Rye
 
Look at this from a different angle. If Bella was your daughter, would you want this for her? 🤷 Even if they did do it all the right way, SHE’S 17! Ok, maybe she finished high school. But where is the opportunity for her to go to college? Now she’s a 17 year old housewife to a half VAMPIRE baby with a VAMPIRE husband. Yeah, that’s realistic allright.

This is teaching our children that men need to be these gorgeous heroes that will give the girls everything they want in life and always catch them when they fall (literally and figuratively in this case). Not only that, but the emo quality of this boy is ridiculous. If he can’t have her, he’s going to commit suicide?! There’s a good message. If you can’t have the person of your dreams, life is over? :mad:

Disney is guilty of this as well. Life is not like that. We need to teach our children to be self resilient, problem solving, compassionate, and realistic. Not to center their entire lives (running off to another countrty to “save” him?!) around some love interest. The monster theme is a little crazy,too. Vampires, wereolves, vampire wars, etc? Where are the realistic, human heroes?

I know our parents said the same thing, but I see it more now. Children have unrealistic, materialistic, fairy tale expectations. Our TV shows and movies show violence, sex, and immorality to be glamourous. We need to be the moral compass for our children. At least if we are going to let them read Twilight, Harry Potter, or whatever else we think might be questionable, we need to read it first and come up with talking points to discuss with them about it after they read it.

-Hope
 
Actually, she’s 18 when they get married and 19 when she in turned into a vampire (she turned 19 “during” the process)

I agree with your last statement about reading/watching it first or with them 👍
 
HopeInChrist said:
Arwen,

Yes, but do you think a 17 year old, no matter how mature, should be having sex out of wedlock, having a baby, getting married, and dealing with such adult issues? No way! Of course everybody is entitled to their opinions, but in mine, this series is just TRASH! We need more HUMAN heroes who demonstrate humanity, virtue, and morality. Edward Cullen does not fit into this category. At all. :nope:

-Hope
Click to expand...
She did not have sex before marriage. They waited until they were married and she wasn’t 17.
 
Arwen037 said:
Bella is a unusually mature young woman, due to the fact she has cared for her mother throughout her life.
Click to expand...
Writing in a backstory about taking care of her mother doesn’t change the fact that the character Stephanie Meyer presents throughout Twilight is incredibly immature. Why is she immature? Because she’s putting her life in danger and obsessing about a creepy old man whom she has nothing in common with, but it’s okay because he happens to be beautiful and perfect.
She makes a choice to be with Edward, I thought woman power was all about being able to make choices.
Click to expand...
It’s about making good choices.
After making this choice, Edward leaves her (trying to save her). She is obviously devastated the way a wife would be if her husband over the course of 2 or 3 days decided to leave her.
Click to expand...
People that are in unhealthy, obsessive relationships are devastated when they get separated too!
Code: 
 "There's a lot more to him than that."
 "Really? Like what?"
 (...)
 "I can't explain it right... but he's even more unbelievable behind the face."
Obviously Bella values more than just his looks. Which I think sets a fairly good example.
Click to expand...
This is romantic hullabaloo. Ask anyone in a successful marriage will tell you what they appreciate about their spouses, not something inexplicable, yet ‘unbelievable’.
Bella and Edward both feel that the other is better than themselves. Read the partial draft of Midnight Sun. Edward thinks he isn’t good enough for Bella, and tries to stay away, but she keeps pushing it.
Click to expand...
If this isn’t evidence of a dysfunctional relationship, I don’t know what is. In mature, healthy relationships, people may admit that they are weaker about certain things, but overall they must believe that one is not better than the other.
The couple does share common interests, such as their choice in music.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but that’s not much to base a relationship on.
Who is Edward allowed to woo? A hundred year old lady? Or because he is (in his mind) cursed with eternal life is he not allowed to fall in love.
Click to expand...
As a 32 year old man who’s dating a 23 year old woman (and she actually is quite mature, unlike Bella), I can tell you that age differences do make a difference. Naivete is part of being young, and although life experiences can prod you along in some regards, age matters. It would be pretty presumptuous of me to say that I would understand the needs of a 50 year old woman, let alone a 100 year old perfect sparkly woman.
 
Wow. My parents censored what I read and watched a little, but not to the point of “This has a poor role model as the main character, therefore they can’t read this or they’ll think that’s ok”. Growing up, I never thought that when I encountered characters with questionable morals and poor decision-making skills. Those characters, in my mind, turned into “What not to do, ever, ever, ever, no not even in such-and-such a circumstance”. Maybe we were strange children, but my friends and I loved to read, and it was really easy to tell when a character was a poor role model. That didn’t necessarily make it a bad read.

My cousins are raising their kids like that, and they’re the strangest kids. Very sweet, but they cry at everything not plesant and wonderful like in the stories with their “good role models”. There has to be a middle ground.
 
I’m glad I have boys who are not interested in this!

They just play video games! 😃

So my almost 15 year old just bought Assassin’s Creed…:cool:

Over the weekend, my 16 year old played COD MOD 2 with a group of his friends…

That is much easier to deal with! It’s just shootin’ and killin’!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top