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If there was ever a story about the need to reign in reality for some kids, this is it.
Sure, we've heard of kids supposedly biting eachother to imitate Twilight (or so their parents might suggest), but this story takes the concept of "life imitating art" in the Twilight world to all new heights.
According to a local Massachusetts newspaper, two thirteen year old kids ran away - and police think it has something to do with Twilight and Breaking Dawn.
Says the Gloucester Daily,
Police say they are still not certain why two 13-year-old Rockport girls decided to skip school and set up an overnight camp in the woods of Gloucester on Monday.
But Rockport police Sgt. Mark Schmink said letters addressed to friends and family left behind by the Rockport Middle School students indicated they may have been inspired by the best-selling, young adult book series, "Twilight," a fantasy romance series recently adapted into a blockbuster movie.
The reason that the police are fingering the Twilight series, according to the publication, is that
As police searched for the girls later Monday, overnight and into yesterday morning, clues to their disappearance came streaming into police headquarters.
According to police Chief Tom McCarthy, notes relative to girls' disappearance were found in their friends' lockers and under their pillows at home. The family of one of the girls also told police they had found a list of camping supplies and that a tent and air mattress were missing.
"At that point, it became apparent they were camping out somewhere," McCarthy said.
After reading the notes left for friends at school and conducting searches in both girls' homes, Schmink — who has read all four "Twilight" books and saw the movie with his daughter — hypothesized the girls may have been inspired by the series.
"The reason these kids left wasn't drugs or alcohol, they weren't lured out of the house by a predator, and there wasn't a bad family environment," Schmink said yesterday.
"This is pure conjecture as to a reason why this occurred because they don't want to discuss it," Schmink said. "But they both had "Twilight" posters in their bedrooms and the letters (in the lockers) reference specific characters and almost matched a letter printed in the fourth book, word for word."
Says the Gloucester Times in a separate publication on the event,
Rockport police Chief Tom McCarthy said Schmink's familiarity with the story — he has read all four "Twilight" books and saw the movie with his daughter — was extremely helpful to the investigation .
...
"From reading the notes, they very much represented the same type of thought process and themes that were throughout the 'Twilight' series of books and the movie," Schmink said.
The "a" in Pamela's signature on one of the letters featured two fangs with blood dripping from them, Schmink said.
"Also, there were references to specific characters in the books in the letters left under their pillows," he said. "The letters (left in their friends' lockers) matched a letter in the fourth book ("Breaking Dawn") almost word for word. The letters followed the same story line where they said they had to get away because they were endangering people by staying around and that the reason would become apparent to people later."
However, the letters weren't the only pieces that helped Schmink make the "Twilight" connection.
"The reason these kids left wasn't drugs or alcohol, they weren't lured out of the house by a predator and there wasn't a bad family environment," Schmink noted. "They both had 'Twilight' posters and books in their bedrooms."
Undoubtedly, the police chief's familiarity with the Twilight series aided in understanding the motives of these two runaways.
We've already discussed the issue of whether Breaking Dawn is a children's book. Although our discussion of the question centered on the fact that the intimacy and level of violence in the series was substantially elevated in Breaking Dawn, apparently there is more to the matter than we initially expected.
If the "runaway" sequences with Alice and Jasper have really played any part - which, from the chief's experience with the series and his observations with the children's notes, seems to be the case - in the disappearance of these kids, there is a wealth of new discourse that needs to be had about this portion of the Twilight saga (as well as, potentially, the other books).
Parents of young teens that are reading or have read the Twilight series probably don't expect that things can get out of hand this way in the very minds of their youngsters, but the truth is that kids are impressionable, and they need to be guided.
With the Harry Potter series, for instance, many parents chose to offer a gentle resistence to the fleeting imaginations of their children and remind them of the concept of fiction and fantasy. The sentiment, when necessary, is that imagination is okay - but it does not extend to reality in certain ways. (In other words, with the Harry Potter series, escaping plight cannot be done with the flicker of a wrist and the like.)
In the case of Twilight, perhaps parents who have young children with an interest in the book and film series should take it upon themselves to make sure their children have a firm grasp on the distinctions between the fantastic and enjoyable world where vampires, werewolves, and immortality exist and the real world where actions have consequences, and otherworldly beings such as the Cullen and La Push families are but a literary creation.
With this understanding, perhaps, incidents such as these - which can be life-threatening to these children - wouldn't happen at all.
So, I ask you, how would you try to communicate these messages to your children if they were reading the Twilight series? How would you approach the discussion so as not to stifle their creativity while still bolstering the norms of actuality in their thought processes? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!
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Comments
I started reading Christopher Pike's Last Vampire series when I was 12, and that is just as violent as Breaking Dawn, but I was old enough to KNOW that it was fantasy and I didn't attempt to re-enact anything I read. Blaming the Twilight series is not the way to go with this.
These are fictional books and all who read them should understand that. If "teens" read them that is the parents responsibly to teach their children the differences between "fact and fiction", "real and make believe"(know what your children are reading) All of the books are easy to get wrapped up in the fancy and its a great escape for a bit but in the end its all entertainment and parents should teach that to their children and the difference. I read all the books and I think they are great.
okay so breaking dawn is more of a young adult book more than twilight, new moon or eclipse. personally i think that parents shouldnt let their kids read breaking dawn til they are about 15 or older because thats when they would understand it more. they are probably just kids who obvistously took it way too far and want to be like the characters in the book.
First of all, BD is very much NOT a book for children. Second of all, how does Jasper and Alice running off have anything to do with teenagers camping? I find the connection tenuous at best.
Parents should read and discuss elements of the books as they come up. I am a grad mother who wanted to have something to talk about with my grad children. They know I have read them all and would understand any question they might have about the books or the characters. As far as Breaking Dawn goes... well the saga is building and to have some climax and some closure had to step it up. Really wish Stephaine Meyer would pick up with Jacob and Renessme and follow them. There children would be really exciting... part human, part vampire and a shapeshifter to boot. She needs to do it quick while our beloved actors that brought this series to life, are still young.
My daughter is now 13. She is completely caught up in the Twilight series, as am I. We even made her a Twilight themed Bat Mitzvah just 3 weeks ago. I never questioned if she understood the difference between fact and fiction. She's very mature.
I don't think that the girls that "ran away" were living in some fantasy world. i think they were looking for an adventure. They left multiple notes and apparently prepared for the camping trip (the list of camping supplies). Their mistake was not letting their families know ahead of time that they wanted to have this adventure and not anticipating the real dangers of camping by themselves in the woods.
It's a communication issue, not an immaturity issue. I'm very lucky. My daughter and I are very open about everything. Yes, we even discussed aspects of Breaking Dawn. Sometimes the conversations are difficult for me, but I promised myself that I would answer every question she asked because my mom never answered anything for me
I think blaming a book series or a movie on the actions that young people make is ridiculous. I agree with Dani that most kids that are reading twilight are able to distinquish the "fantasy" aspect versus reality. Wouldn't you already assume it was fantasy as soon as vampires and werewolves (shape-shifters) were involved??? I would say that maybe the parents should be more involved in teaching the kids right from wrong.
You know something is wrong with kids these days. What are parents teaching their kids that these children read fictious books and take it literally. When I was 13 and 14 I read my mom's Stephen King and Dean Koontz books and I fully understood that they were make believe, and not to be acted out in real life. What goes through these kid's minds? I just don't understand. Biting each other, I mean seriously? How could they blame that on Twilight anyhow? There wasn't a lot of vampires biting people going on in the series.
I think this is totally ubsurd!! There is something seriously wrong with these girls if they ran away because of the Twilight books. Give me a break!
Dani, I agree with you. This is the parent's fault. My daughter is only 8 and she was taught in 2nd grade the difference between fiction and fantasy. Teenagers in general don't have good decision making skills and therefore blow things way out of proportion. If the parents would have been more involved in their kids lives, they would have realized there were problems. To blame these books is just crazy! Please people, become better parents and stop blaming books, music, and video games for your children's problems.
I don't think there is something wrong with these girls. I think they were inspired by the books. Like I wrote previously, had this been communicated to their families this could have been a great adventure for them. The families could have been involved with the "play acting" and could have ensured that their girls were safe.
Had it been my daughter and a friend and I knew about there plans I would have encouraged it and helped them to plan much like I do now.
I think kids are missing creativity and adventure these days. My friends and I often talk about how we would explore on our bikes until dinner and our mom's never knew where we were, it was assumed that we were safe. The new assumption is that something will go wrong. My daughter is not allowed anywhere without her cell and then I check on her at least once and hour. Where is the fun and freedom in that?
There is something wrong with these girls if they ran away because characters in a book did too. I used to read romance novels as a teenager, with intense sexual sequences in them, I didn't become a slut because of it though. There is a big difference between reality and fantasy and these girls obviously were never told there was a difference. As for Breaking Dawn being a kids book.... I never thought Twilight was really a kids book to begin with, I see it more as a 15 or up book, and by that time I would hope the kids that age would understand a little better the story in Breaking Dawn. When you really look at BD there is no serious sex in it, and all the violance was completely avoided.... so whats the big deal?
No Breaking Dawn is not a children’s book, however, Twilight came out in what 2005/2006, those books have grown with the audiences just as the Harry Potter books have, The Deathly Hallows isn’t as easy going as The Sorcerer’s Stone…those books got darker with each addition also. The bottom line is that parents should monitor what their children are watching on TV & reading, have discussions with them. Lets not blame the books for the actions of the children.
I cannot speak for ALL of us teens, but my friends and I, while enjoying to be Alice and Bella, love the books, we both know what is real and what isn't. And I have to say that by blaming a book, they just want to blame someone other than themselves. I'm 16 and I'm not dumb. It's just a phase, trust me. I know. And I also read Harry Potter which got me mad about all the crap they were saying about it. Don't get me started. Seriously. Don't. Kids younger than 10 don't really have a grasp as to what is real and what is fantasy. Kids older than that? Yes. These two just wanted to have fun and be characters from Twilight and I'm sure that when you all were young, you guys did the same exact thing. Shut up. Seriously. They're kids. Let them enjoy childhood the way they should. They only have 18 years to do it. Don't kill it.
People! Do you think that if these kids' parents were really paying an interest in their lives, that this would have happened? Maybe...but my guess is probably not. Adults have a way of blaming everything that is wrong with their kids, on something beside the real problem..their own lack of interest and involvement in their children's lives. It is much easier to blame an outside sorce (Twilight Book series) than to admit that they have no control of their kids. This is what is wrong with the world today. Get a GRIP and comunicate with your kids...be amazed at what you find out about them and how they think.
You have got to be kidding me! This just takes the cake! I cant beleive this!
"...be amazed at what you find out about them and how they think."
What a beautiful idea! Nicely said.
Seems to me there are 2 issues here, both related to society at present ...
The failure to teach young people the difference between fiction and reality
AND
Our willingness to find someone or something to blame rather than accept responsibility ..
Sad, really!
The parents seem to have a bigger problem then these books.. their children obviously don't have a strong root in reality. The books didn't cause this.. these girls are searching for something that is lacking.. I'm not blaming the parents.. it's part of being a teenager.. dreaming.. but there is a fine line between dreams and fantasy and knowing the difference and what you should and should not pursue... I know plenty of girls this age who have read the books and they have no problems with realizing that it is FICTION
To blame the book is ridiculous. Everyone knows that. If you don't feel like its a childrens book then dont let your children read it. My 4 yr old watches the movie with me and enjoys it very much. She knows its not real and SHE'S 4!!!! Just like fairy tales, kids enjoy them but they know that pumpkins dont turn into carriages, and genies dont come out of magic lamps. Its ok to pretend and to be imaginative, but to this extreme is ridiculous, and these girls just wanted attention it seems to me. These parents need to take responsibility and not blame this BOOK for them not having control of their children. If thats the case, why dont we blame the war in Iraq on the Volturi. Come on!!
I can't believe the parents are going so far as to blame a book for these kids actions. First I would like to know where the parents were when the two 13 year old girls were packing up their bags and tents and air matresses and planning to leave. I think I would notice if my kids were leaving the house with a bunch of camping gear. They are clearly looking for attention from their parents I just hope the parents eyes are opened and these kids get what they need before something really goes wrong, something more devistating than a camping trip.
what the frikin heck!!!! if yu dnt likee it dnt let yur children read stop tellin the word crap about how ad it is wen yur kids r the 1s who ran away n im tierd of all these quote on quote "fans" giving the rest of us twilighters a bad name!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I'm sorry but by the time you're 13 you know better. They just wanted their 15 minutes.
This is so ridiculous I WAN TO THROW UP ! I can't believe their blaming Breaking Dawn/Twilight books for this. The parents need to watch what their kids do. PARENTS READ WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE AND THOSE books are great but certain teens should be allowed to read them.
BUT BLAME SHOULD NEVER GO TO THOSE BOOKS !
THey ran away not because of some book, they left because they wanted to. Sorry the parents need to take responsiblity for not seeing something wrong with their kids. Don't blame society for your mistakes.
it's RIDICULOUS blaming a book for some kids who cant tell the difference between fiction and reality.
this book is for young adults not children and if these kids are going to mistake a fictional book for an advise guide they shouldnt be able to read them.
THE SHOULDNT TAKE BLAME FOR STUPIDITY.
I'm a mother who reads everything that my children read. We, my 17 year-old daughter and I, loved both the Harry Potter series and Twilight series. The difference between my husband & I and the parents of those two teens, we talk to our kids (about everything), we also make them take responsibility for their actions.
Parents are allowing to many other people to "parent" their children, providing instant gratification and easy-outs. Parents like this need to look at themselves and realize their children need them, not only around, but to pay attention. We only have our children (as children) for a short amount of time, make it more gratifying by being a loving parent (which includes appropriate punishment, when needed). Be there in all aspects of their lives and situations such as this won't happen.
this is probably one of the stupidest things i have ever read.. its not the books fault that these two girls dont know the difference between reality and a book! clearly these girls were still too immature to read this book.. they just wanted the 15 minutes of fame and hey why not make it about twilight cuz everyone likes twilight.... stupid stupid stupid... my little sister read it and shes only 12... nothing like that hs ever even crossed her mind
but for the parents to be blaming the book.... RIDICULOUS!
This is absolutley stupid. Why not blame everyone but the PARENTS of these impressionable children? Especially at age 13, it's one thing to be an over obsessed fan, and another not to know fantasy from reality. In that conclusion,it is soley the parents fault for not controlling their children's behavior. It may be a dumb question to ask, but it doesn't hurt to ask your 13 year old daughter if she knows the difference between the real world and a fantasy novel. The girls were looking for attention, this could be a cry out to parents, friends and teachers, that they are unhappy with the life they have, they'd rather live in the fantasy than the reality. It has nothing directly with the book or the movie. These girls need medical help, before it is too late, and they do something even more drastic. (like cliff-diving to catch the attention of their "true love").
Just like SAMANTHA said, I am also a teenager and a huge fan of Twilight. My friends and I love to dream about this fantasy world, but we all know what is real and was is not. Agreed, the books probably had something to do with this, but if the parents had been paying attention, they would have noticed that something was going on. Twilight was nothing more than an excuse to have a little fun and get attention. I think the parents should take responsibility, and focus on finding these girls instead of blaming Twilight.
Yes, Twilight made them run away...and Ozzie makes kids kill themselves. Parents need to wake up and see what's going on in their own home and take responsibility for their own actions or lack of. Out of all the books i never would have thought a run away would happen. This is a lame attempt for attention, just dont blame the books.
it's improtant to disngusith betee nfantays and reality. owever it is sometimes nessearcy to run away or or at leat emrpao;oy run to get help. like you habre bucnh of kilelr wantig to kil lyou nadh ave to meaprly leave hte group to get help. but I am tiwhard who has read he books and reard (currnetly reading breaking dawn for the 5th time) andI love the actors. but let's not balme certians things
oh yeah maybe some of the grils didn't admit to other issues or the parents are to blame
Seriously, I can't believe what I just read. Blaming the book is an easy out for the parents and the girls should get a good old fashioned spanking!
No offence but those girls really need to get a life! You can't blame parent for some stupid kids that don't know the difference between fantasy and reality. I'm a kid and I love reading but I don't mistake the real world for fiction !
The books certainly shouldn't be BLAMED for this type of behavior. Kids are going to get crazy ideas in their heads no matter WHAT the stimulus is. Yes, they are very passionate about the books, but the books aren't ENCOURAGING anyone to do this. *sigh* I agree that parents need to help check reality. People need to realize that it's JUST FICTION. Highly enjoyable fiction, but not in anyway reality. Even the kids are just pretending, they are taking it much too far.
Ana, dont forget what kinds of thing eminem and marilyn Manson have done to our kids.
My cousin (who was closer to goth then anythings else) was murdered and some old lady who was a "witness" said that rap music killed her, she said that, some people are ignorant. Dont you think that, maybe just maybe, these girls have a mind of their own to run off and have their own fun, besides there was NO airmattress in ANY Twilight book.
all i can say is, WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!!!!!!
Grow Up!!!
wow!! thats all I can say!
the books are actually really good, they are also very controversial for many people which is why a religion had it removed from its bookstores in utah. people need to get over this. you can not blame books for people running away. they came up with the idea themselves. it is not like the book said, "go camp out and run away" people completely astound me sometimes. children pull stunts like this all the time, mainly it is for attention and the parents and other adults are so willing to blame it on anything. it is quite frankly appalling and distasteful.
First of all, let me just start out with saying that Twilight is really not the best reading material for young children. Teens and up yes. But not young kids for goodness sakes, lol.
And to some point, the books are to blame, though more more intently the parents. They could have prevented this very easily. But i know parents cant see everything. God, i know mine don't! LOL I also hope that Stephenie Meyer doesn't feel horrible about this incident. She shouldn't. It really isn't her fault at all. She has repeatedly said that she didn't write the books with children in mind. So I really do hope no one is blaming her.
If you get right down to it, these kids are very silly for taking things this far. You can take fandom beyond sensibility, and I think they have--if in fact, they are imitating the books. Which isn't that far fetched. Hopefully this will be a lesson to all parents to instill the principle of differences between fantasy and real life before things are taken this far.
I dont think it was related... If it was they would have taken the books with them.... LOL... Just kiddin' I love to watch CSI and my 8 year old rarely is farther than the next room from me, so in saying this, she would watch it with me. Yes it could get intense and very explicit, yet we discussed the topic of fact and fiction and real and fantasy. I just explained to her that TV wasnt "real" and they were actors... She has seem the movie "Twilight" and I have had this same discussion with her. It comes back to the ads that say "talk to your kids about...." If you talk to you children and don't tip toe around the subjects... your children will appriciate it in the long run and they will feel like they can talk to you about anything... thats what we want isnt it...
I always enjoyed acting out things that I read about in books, so I am not surprised that 13 yr olds would do the same. I do think parents should always discuss books (especially fantasy ones) with their creative and imaginative children. I have noticed that even adults have a hard time deciphering the difference between real and fantasy in regards to the Twilight series. So are we really that surprised when a child begins to act out the scenes themselves?! We need to be very watchful with our impressionable children so they don't act on any of the other more dangerous/racey scenes. I think the fault lies in the parents for not discussing the books with the kids and possibly for allowing a child to read a book that is clearly too mature for their level.
13 year olds do impulsive things, and camping certainly isn't the worst of them. How does Twilight have anything to do with it? The Twilight series mentions camping only in passing. Sounds like someone is trying to make a story out of nothing.
I'm thirteen years old. I understood the difference between reality and fantasy when I was about 8. I think adults mix time up as they get older or else these girls were seriously under-eduacted to belive anything to do with fantasy in the Twilight series was true. The characters and stories written by Stephanie Meyer came from a dream she had, not the belief they actully existed. I understand they need something to help understand why the girls ran away, but just because they are fans of the books/movie doesn't mean thats what motivated them. They could have just wanted to go on a camping trip and thought relating it to the twilight saga would be a good way to inform their friends. I'm very sorry, however, that they did choose to run away and I don't belive it was fully the parents fault because people make their own decisions. I'm very sorry and I hope you find them soon and figure everything out.
this is so stupid, blaming a book for a bunch of kids who need to grow up. it is not the books fault for their own actions.
I am a 13 year old myself and I have read every book in the Twilight series and I don't think that these books could be the cause for these girls running away.By the parents blaming the books for this, they are just making up an excuse so they don't have to really think about what could be the cause of this.I have a pretty good imagination, but I also know when something is real and when it is fiction.The parents aren't the only ones to blame for this.They did it on their own.Kids my age could have alot going on in their lives and sometimes we just need to get away from it all.I have run away before, and it was for that reason.When the girls feel they have gotten what they wanted out of it, what ever that may be, they will come home.How soon it may be, that is completely up to them.But as hard as it may be for their parents, they shouldn't go to extreme measures and blame something like a book series for their daughters decisions.
I am so sick of people targeting these books/ movies(s)! It's ridiculous. It seems people are trying to find a reason why every one loves them so much and then take that reason away. I mean seriously, there are really gory books but people don't link them with murders- same concept. I can't say anything else. I am just so POed
Uhh,I love twilight too but i wouldn't run away,there must have been another reason, i dont think i was that... how do i put this nicley, uh imature when i was 13 plus i can tell the diffrance between faiction and non. If that was really the case why they ran away.
If you dont just remember these little ruels.
Fiction-vampires,werewolves,unicorns ect.
Non-Uh... Benjamine franklyn,the news, Presidant Bush.
I like Twilight alot and i am young but i don't think that i would take it that far. I don't really think you should blame it on the books though, because you can have a hunch about something but you will never know the true intent. These two girls will be found and talked to but you should focus more on these two children instead of finding something as simple as a book to blame it on. Blame it on yourselves for not being able to keep track of your children(not trying to be harsh), but they are YOUR responsibility, and some book is not going to influence a child, if you felt that it would then you shouldn't alow them to read the books.
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