A fabulous parenting book (the only one, in fact, that I read these days)
Almost always on my bed stand. Stella's middle name is Scout for a reason.
The Papa, Stella and I adore this story. It's not a newbie, but it's a goodie.
I love books that focus on kids with their dads. I love watching Stella and the Papa read this together even more.
Wait a minute... how old am I?
Wait a minute... how old am I?
So I was recently sucked into the fanatical world of Edward Cullen and friends. Yup. I, a thirty-two year old mama, got totally hooked on Twilight. It’s not a series I ever thought I’d like. It was written for teenage girls and I had a crazy irrational fear of vampires as a kid. So consider me surprised that I found myself staying up until the wee hours every night reading all four of these silly books and loving every crush-worthy minute of it.
Of course, the English teacher in me can’t help but filter at least some of the books through my Overly Analytical Lens. I, along with a billion other “older” readers, can’t help but wonder why this book grips young girls (and, ahem, other older female types) with such fervor. It’s not like it’s the best story ever written. The book is clever, for sure. And it’s hard to not feel swept up by the urgency of the mystery and romance. But it’s still pretty much a silly thriller wrapped up in a grandly cheesy love story.
And I can’t really decide whether or not the heroine is worship-worthy. Clever? Check. Feisty? Check. Stubborn? Check. But is she strong? I’m not sure.
In any case, it’s got me thinking about how I would present such a story to Stella. (Let me introduce you to my Mama Lens.) I wonder if I would want her to be swept up by such a romance. As the heroine in the novels even admits to the reader, epic romances are often so tacky and overly dramatic. And constantly being the target of some dangerous villain - ya know, wicked vampires and werewolves… the usual – is sort of, well, victim-y. And I’m not sure I like that. Actually, I know I don’t like it.
I really don’t want Stella growing up believing those ridiculously miscalculated Lifetime Movies for Her are accurate or attractive. I already have a hard enough time with Cinderella and Snow White.
So why did I become thoroughly wrapped up in this silly story? The rational part of my mind recognizes that I’m drawn to it because it’s exciting and fun and totally different from what I normally read. It’s also a complete fantasy that’s pretty fun to focus on as I cringe every morning listening to NPR’s latest reports about the war in Gaza. A necessary escape, indeed. But the irrational part of me is mesmerized by this vampire boy, Edward Cullen. I have absolutely no ego left when I say quite frankly that it would knock my socks off to be protected by this dangerously lovely dude. I could go on, but I’ll refrain. I would like to head into this week with a small shred of feminist dignity.
I will say that I really am conflicted about this inane nonsense. I wrestle with a desire to show Stella a world where women don’t need the protection of men – hot vampire men included – but also a desire to show her a world where fantasy and dreams matter. Those two worlds don’t always go hand in hand. After all, the desires of our fantasies and dreams don’t always align neatly (or at all) with the desires of our everyday beliefs. The Papa and I wish to show her that epic romances are in fact lived out daily between best friends as they navigate the fantastic and the mundane. And this normalcy, aka life without vampires, far outshines the giddy butterflies-in-my-stomach kind of love found in Fabio-covered paperbacks.
The books eventually redeem themselves by awarding the klutzy heroine with some badass superpowers of her own. Through intellectual grit and emotional strength, she ends up protecting herself just fine, thank you very much. But it’s still so, so, so silly. Silliness aside, I think I'm fine with Stella crushing on Edward Cullen and dreaming of epic love. That’s cool. I get it. I want her to aim high in terms of love. If high means eternal vampire love, so be it. She deserves to be adored, celebrated, revered and respected. And just because my cynicism has always made me suspicious of a dozen red roses doesn’t mean she shouldn’t embrace grand romantic gestures. (Because, if I’m honest, I totally dig a love note here and there.) I just require that she do some protectin’ herself and kick some serious vampire butt of her own. That’s all this mortal mama can ask for.
Of course, the English teacher in me can’t help but filter at least some of the books through my Overly Analytical Lens. I, along with a billion other “older” readers, can’t help but wonder why this book grips young girls (and, ahem, other older female types) with such fervor. It’s not like it’s the best story ever written. The book is clever, for sure. And it’s hard to not feel swept up by the urgency of the mystery and romance. But it’s still pretty much a silly thriller wrapped up in a grandly cheesy love story.
And I can’t really decide whether or not the heroine is worship-worthy. Clever? Check. Feisty? Check. Stubborn? Check. But is she strong? I’m not sure.
In any case, it’s got me thinking about how I would present such a story to Stella. (Let me introduce you to my Mama Lens.) I wonder if I would want her to be swept up by such a romance. As the heroine in the novels even admits to the reader, epic romances are often so tacky and overly dramatic. And constantly being the target of some dangerous villain - ya know, wicked vampires and werewolves… the usual – is sort of, well, victim-y. And I’m not sure I like that. Actually, I know I don’t like it.
I really don’t want Stella growing up believing those ridiculously miscalculated Lifetime Movies for Her are accurate or attractive. I already have a hard enough time with Cinderella and Snow White.
So why did I become thoroughly wrapped up in this silly story? The rational part of my mind recognizes that I’m drawn to it because it’s exciting and fun and totally different from what I normally read. It’s also a complete fantasy that’s pretty fun to focus on as I cringe every morning listening to NPR’s latest reports about the war in Gaza. A necessary escape, indeed. But the irrational part of me is mesmerized by this vampire boy, Edward Cullen. I have absolutely no ego left when I say quite frankly that it would knock my socks off to be protected by this dangerously lovely dude. I could go on, but I’ll refrain. I would like to head into this week with a small shred of feminist dignity.
I will say that I really am conflicted about this inane nonsense. I wrestle with a desire to show Stella a world where women don’t need the protection of men – hot vampire men included – but also a desire to show her a world where fantasy and dreams matter. Those two worlds don’t always go hand in hand. After all, the desires of our fantasies and dreams don’t always align neatly (or at all) with the desires of our everyday beliefs. The Papa and I wish to show her that epic romances are in fact lived out daily between best friends as they navigate the fantastic and the mundane. And this normalcy, aka life without vampires, far outshines the giddy butterflies-in-my-stomach kind of love found in Fabio-covered paperbacks.
The books eventually redeem themselves by awarding the klutzy heroine with some badass superpowers of her own. Through intellectual grit and emotional strength, she ends up protecting herself just fine, thank you very much. But it’s still so, so, so silly. Silliness aside, I think I'm fine with Stella crushing on Edward Cullen and dreaming of epic love. That’s cool. I get it. I want her to aim high in terms of love. If high means eternal vampire love, so be it. She deserves to be adored, celebrated, revered and respected. And just because my cynicism has always made me suspicious of a dozen red roses doesn’t mean she shouldn’t embrace grand romantic gestures. (Because, if I’m honest, I totally dig a love note here and there.) I just require that she do some protectin’ herself and kick some serious vampire butt of her own. That’s all this mortal mama can ask for.
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