The more I think about some worried parents’ concerns about the “obsessive relationship between Edward and Bella,” I think that the film “Twilight” does more in the way of inspiring beneficial things, rather than dangerous ones (unless you count dating vampires and hanging out with wearwolves).

The fact that Edward Cullen listens to Claire de Lune is huge. The Debussy song can even be found on the soundtrack! Although Mozart is my favorite, and some baroque music may have been more appropriate for the subject matter of the film, it definitely got me interested in at least checking out some more music of that genre.

In addition to that, Bella’s favorite book is Wuthering Heights, and she and Edward watch “Romeo and Juliet” in the novel. I think that these things encourage the average “Twilight” fan to invest some time into valuable cultural mediums.

Another prudent value which the movie and book seem to subliminally support is abstinence. It is too dangerous for Bella and Edward to have sex, so the reader and viewer are forced to made do with a PG 13 love affair. Abstinence is their only recourse.

I was watching a review of the film “Twilight”, and the woman on On Demand said that although the film was rated PG 13, that she thought “the relationship between Bella and Edward was obsessive,” and not necessarily a good influence on teenage girls.

I don’t know if this woman actually remembers being a teeneage girl, or if, perhaps, she was completely devoid of hormones. Unfortunately for parents of teens and tweeners alike, most pre-adolescent relationships border on the obsessive. Haven’t we all read Romeo and Juliet? Doesn’t Stephanie Meyer even take advantage of this parallel in the book?

Like Romeo and Juliet, Bella and Edward are star-crossed lovers. Edward is still trying to figure out how to be a vampire. Bella is trying to figure out how to be a teenage girl, a daughter, a girlfriend, and a friend. Both parties are discerning how to be in a relationship. Minor obsession is a byproduct of all of these things combined.

Once again, it is a case of the age-old question: does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?