At the risk of creating a controversy and having you all hate me forever, I am compiling a list of the things Stephenie Meyer has taught my daughter. Let me say that the only reason I read Twilight in the first place was because Kyrie wanted to read it. I told Kyrie that I needed to read it first and then decide if she could read it. And so it has gone with all four books. I've read them first, sat down and had discussions with my daughter about things I felt were inappropriate and then allowed her to read them. I have worried about Breaking Dawn even more than the others, however. The content is definitely not appropriate for a 13 year old girl. But, I know that Kyrie is hooked on this series and will read it behind my back. And so there will be a conversation before she begins book #4. I do enjoy the way Stephenie Meyer writes (not so much w/Breaking Dawn because I felt like her style changed some). At times I couldn't believe I was being sucked into this vampire world (pun intended!). I do believe that as an LDS author writing fiction Stephenie Meyer had a responsibility to show some moral character. Bella didn't have to be LDS to have values. And, at times, she was lacking values. I feel bad that this is being marketed to young girls all over the world when it contains some mature content. Enough ranting, here's my list of the top 10 messages my daughter was given from Stephenie Meyer:
10. It's OK to lie and hide things from your parents.
9. It's OK to have a boy in your room all night.
8. It's OK to have a boy in your room all night with his shirt off.
7. If you want sex with your boyfriend, beg, beg, and barter.
6. If your boyfriend dumps you, you should do crazy, dangerously suicidal things to get his attention.
5. Just because you have a boyfriend, or a husband, doesn't mean you have to get rid of the ex. Keep him around just in case, dangle him like a puppet on a string. You never know how you're going to need him later.
4. It is important to be beautiful at any cost. It really bothered me at how everyone's jaw drops at Bella's beauty in Breaking Dawn. I was especially disappointed that her father didn't make reference to her old look and tell her he loved her just the way she was.
3. It is OK for a teenage boy to "imprint" on a toddler or an infant. She says it wasn't sexual, but give me a break- that is just WEIRD! If a teenage boy took that kind of interest in my toddler, I'd...never mind.
2. It is OK to obsess over a boy so badly that your world comes to an end, even if you can't function. Where was Bella's father for heaven sakes when, in New Moon, it was labeled with the month and nothing else? Why didn't he take her to a counselor? She needed some serious anti-depressants or something.
1. It is OK for your husband to leave bruises on your body during intimate moments because the pleasure is so great, you won't feel the pain.
I hope I haven't upset you, remember, I read this book for a different purpose than most of you. All the way through Breaking Dawn, I was trying to figure out how to explain this book to my daughter. I just feel bad for those girls who don't have someone to talk about it with them. They are definitely getting some wrong ideas. I did tell Kyrie that I was going to rewrite this story for myself and just kill off everyone in the end! (except maybe Charlie)
