Below is an article written and submitted to us by Donna Cullen. Let us know if you share her sentiments regarding Twilight and love, or whether your take is a little bit different! The Twilight books and movies have been a hit with all age groups and both male and female genders. Their romantic tales have intrigued many, but the teenage generation, especially. There are several lessons about romantic relationships that are presented through the series, whether or not those lessons are true to live or not, I’ll let you be the judge. 1. Long distance relationships never work. Edward was so sure that their love could handle the separation. It may often seem like that, when a couple first becomes separated by distance, but over time, the lack of shared experience will take its toll. Long distance relationships are very hard to maintain for long periods of time. 2. Love at first sight is real. Edward never really notices any other girl at his school after first seeing Bella. That was all it took, that ‘first sight’ of the one he was meant to be with. 3. Love has no prejudice. When you’re really in love, you can see past all of the outward differences between two people, even when those differences are of a human and a vampire. 4. Jealousy is a killer. The green-eyed monster, as jealousy has been referred to, showed itself in these stories between Jacob and Edward. Jacob’s jealousy aroused more than a little animosity towards his rival. 5. Love is more than skin deep. Belle and Edward were not simply attracted to each other because of their physical looks. Edward enjoyed everything about Belle. He liked talking with her, because she was intelligent and had a strong personality. He admired her as much as he loved her. The same was true of Belle’s appreciation for Edward. 6. When you really love someone, you can’t live without them. When Edward thought that Bella was dead he was going to expose himself. Bella felt the same way when Edward leaves in New Moon. Belle wanted to become a vampire, so that she would be able to be with Edward forever. 7. Your best friend can’t be of the opposite sex. Belle thought that she and Jacob could just be best friends and not get romantically involved. Since Belle was already in love with Edward, it was true for her, but not for Jacob. The more he was with Belle, the more in love with her, he became. 8. Love doesn’t care about other people’s opinion. Edward and Bella had to face the judgement of the other students and their friends. Their love for each other was able to sustain them through those experiences. They were able to see beyond the surface things that others saw. 9. Love is self-sacrificing. Edward was willing to sacrifice his own desires for the well-being of Belle. He was willing to put her desires before his own. Her happiness and well-being were of more importance to him than his own. 10. Love can totally change your perspective. Bella was so sure that moving to Forks was going to make her miserable, but after she meets Edward, she feels like she never wants to leave. Your feelings are powerful things, and being with someone you love can make all the difference in the world towards your perspective on your other circumstances. Some of the ‘lessons’ learned through the series should be taken to heart. But others, well, they make for good romance stories but are seldom what you truly experience in real life. It usually takes a few decades of living to learn the difference, so if you want to know which ones are for real and which ones are not, ask someone whose been living life for a bit longer than you have. {via Donna Cullen } [...]