The Great Debate of Our Time - Team Edward or Team Jacob??

Count me in amongst the hoards of people clamouring to see New Moon. I finished reading the second book in the Twilight series last spring and have been holding off to see the movie before moving on to the next installment.

It's funny to see the reaction to this flick. So many people want to put it down, write it off as fluff, and there there are the legions of young girls who are reacting with Beatlemania enthusiasm.

And my 13-year-old niece is one of them.

She called me last night to say she had just seen New Moon and with a breath that seemed to last forever sheproceededtotellmejusthowmuchshelovedthemovieandshewouldpickJacoboverEdwardanyday,whatdoyouthinkAuntieSarah???

I paused and thought - boy, are we screwing up a entire generation of women...

These girls are going to grow up thinking boys are SUPPOSED to want you with such a deep burning desire that they are willing to fore sake their own needs and desires, just to be with you.

Shee-ya. Good luck with that sister!

These young men will also have the unrealistic expectation thrust upon them that they need to put up with all kinds of drama, mind games and attitude, and then - they should LIKE it! If you love a girl, you will be OK with your feelings being tested, your relationship strained and your hormones tightly and securely in check.

Do you see a problem here, because the last time I was of an age to worry about dating, not too many of the guys were that tuned into a girl's innermost thoughts and feelings - so unless something serious has changed in the past two decades....

Right - I didn't think so!

So is it a double standard for "older" women such as myself to enjoy these flicks? Honestly, I think it's a case of looking at what many of us idealize as the perfect relationship and to put it in context with our own views of love.

In short - a girl can dream, can't she?

Cry Baby!

I don't apologize for protecting my kids.

Most parents don't have that problem when faced with the obvious - strangers, killer plagues, running with scissors.

It gets a little more complicated when it comes to the social mores with bullying. A complex, twisted existence, the Bully manages to isolate the victim with an intricate web of lies, half truths and intimidation, backed up by the promise of violence, or even worse, embarrassment.

My son has suffered at the hands of a bully, or two. One has made his existence a miserable one and it wasn't until this year that he has been able to handle the torment.

So who enables the bully? The collection of victims who operate at his beck and call in the vain effort to avoid becoming the next subject of humiliation. The variety of adults who turn the other way, avoid taking responsibility and offer excuses for his behavior.

I charge you all with guilt by association. Feel proud that you are now no better than a pre-pubescent punk who has nothing more going for him than his bad attitude.

Sincerely,

Mother of a Momma's Boy