JeaNette G. Smith, a licensed marriage and family therapist in American Fork, is one of those parents.

“The Twilight story is dangerous to its youthful fans. You’ll find all kinds of teenaged girls looking for the love of their life and convincing themselves they can trust their own Edward,” Smith said.

Smith also believes that the series doesn’t portray the realities of teenage relationships.

“The danger of Twilight lies in its romance. It depicts a love so intense that it can overcome any obstacle. Every romantic wants their love to be as powerful as that of Bella and Edward,” she said. “In real life, however, those types of love affairs don’t exist, least of all for adolescents, for whom love is far more selfish than selfless.”

In her recent book, ‘Unsteady: What Every Parent Absolutely Must Know about Teenage Romance,’ Smith outlines for parents of teens the realities of teenage relationships. She addresses the fact that parents are often to blame for unintentionally encouraging emotional intimacy and gives ways parents can teach their teens positive relationships through appropriate dating habits.

Although Smith isn’t discouraging people to see the movie or read the books, she warns that teenagers need to realize the relationship between Bella and Edward is fictional and not a good portrayal of real-life romance.

“Teenagers need to be convinced that miracle romances only happen in fairy tales, and real-life damsels need to stay away from poison apples, poison spindles, and inviting teenage boys into their bedrooms at night,” she said.

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There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves all of us not to talk about the rest of us. – Robert Louis Stevenson