Do the Twilight and New Moon Movies Make Kids Believe They Are Vampires?

If you are a parent, chances are one of your child's friends has mentioned that they think they are a real vampire. Perhaps your own child is fantasizing about being the "last of their kind." Did the Twilight series cause these thoughts? And if so, are these thoughts negative or positive? Should you, as a parent, be concerned about your child's fascination with vampires, or is it a passing phase?

While neither of my children have watched Twilight or New Moon, I know that many of their friends have. Now it is not my place to say whether a parent should or should not allow their child to watch something. After all, who knows a child better than their parent? Then again, I have observed some children behaving in ways that are rather disturbing. Instead of simply pretending to be vampires, they actually believe that they are.

Should parents be worried if their child is acting this way? Is it good to expose our children to movies, regardless of the ratings, in order to prepare them for the real world? While there are many children who start believing or pretending like they are vampires after watching Twilight or New Moon, we must also realize that there are many adults who act in the same way.

Anything from admiration of movie characters to internal mental manifestations can result from watching any movie of any genre. I recall watching episodes of "Mork and Mindy" when I was a very young child. I would run around the living room, pull on my ear lobes, and say "Nanoo Nanoo" over and over again. My mother bought me a big Mork and Mindy sleeping bag, complete with a full-sized image of Mork wearing his signature rainbow shirt and buttons-clad suspenders. Sometimes I even imagined that I was from another planet and, like Mork, felt like an outsider in a strange land.

These thoughts are quite normal for anyone of any age, by the way, although I might question the mental capacity of an adult who chose to run in circles and act as I did those many years ago. After all, the purpose of the whole entertainment industry, and movies in general, is to help us escape from our current lives into ones of myth, legend, adventure, drama, etc. Who hasn't thought about how "neat' it would be to live back in the days of cowboys and indians, travel to the future, have supernatural powers, be a hero, or be surrounded by admiring crowds of gorgeous people?

Children think in many of these same ways, but they take it one step further by acting out these thoughts. When a child watches Twilight or New Moon (or any other movie for that matter) they may act out the scenes from the film. Children are most likely to act out those scenes which resonated with them in the deepest, most personal ways, either in an approving or disapproving manner. And, since some scenes or behaviors might be disturbing to some, it can be expected that the child might act these out as well. Pretend play is the child's way of processing the information presented to them, be it in real life or on television. Rather than simply replaying the scenes in their minds in order to relive the moment (as in the case of adults), children are more likely to engage in pretend play where the scene is recreated.

So should a parent be concerned if their child suddenly starts believing they are a real vampire, begins to go around biting people on the neck, or resort to threats of "vampire" violence?

Parents should first and foremost observe their child carefully as they engage in these behaviors. How old is the child, and are their behaviors normal for that age aside from the vampire motif? Are the behaviors normal for their personality? Have they had fantasies of this magnitude in the past, or is it a recent development? Take a moment to think about the "benefits" that these children might assume are in existence by believing as they do. Perhaps the vampires in New Moon and Twilight present a certain degree of power over the difficulties in their lives. By taking on the persona of a vampire, as presented in the movie, the child may feel that he or she is now more in control of things that are going on around them. Threatening others with vampire-like violence may provide the child a sense of security and protection from others. In young children, attempting to bite someone should be of concern on the basis that actual physical violence is not acceptable, not that it was suggested in a movie. For older children, these behaviors are not only age-inappropriate, but an indication that they may be having personal problems.

Parents can expect that younger children will act out scenes from any television show or movie, while older children will fantasize about the characters or situations therein. The degree to which these behaviors occur, and the impact that such behaviors have on their lives, is the key. If the child's world is engulfed with these behaviors and they are unable to live a normal life outside of the fantasy realm, then there is indeed need for concern. On the other hand, if they pretend to be the character periodically or mention a similarity between themselves and the actors/actresses, this is normal behavior.

A child (or adult) who deeply internalizes the notion of being a vampire, as in New Moon or Twilight, may need counseling. These individuals not only believe they are vampires, but they start thinking, acting, dressing, and even eating like a vampire. They might start talking about dark and mysterious things, sleep all day and stay up all night, and seek others who also believe this way. Some adults who are living in this fantasy world go so far as to have their canine teeth filed down to points, wear gothic make up, meet late at night with other "real" vampires, and drink the raw blood from fresh meat packages.

The key here is the intent of the person, and parents must gauge their child's behavior accordingly. Remember, adult behaviors, even of the extreme variety, can be chalked up to personal interest or freedom of expression, while the same behaviors in a child could mean something totally different. If they sincerely believe that they are vampires and cannot live a normal life because of their thoughts or behaviors, then the person may need to seek psychiatric help. On the other hand, if the vampire lifestyle is a hobby, it could be a fleeting fascination. Take the time to examine the reasons for the behavior, such as for inclusion in a club or hobbyist organization, for attention, for feelings of empowerment, to escape reality, etc. Remember, a mentally healthy person of any age can set the vampire lifestyle aside at any moment without distress. They are also able to live a normal, happy life without the vampire attributes. On the other hand, someone who is dealing with personal or mental issues may have difficulty pulling themselves away from or out of the fantasy life.