What dads need to know about Twilight

If you're a dad and are flummoxed by the hype around the Twilight series, you're not alone. Many guys just don't get it. Beyond the obvious appeal of good-looking guys, what is it about this series that has girls---and adult women---flocking to the theaters, premieres, and chat rooms? What can you as a dad learn from this phenomenon?

1. Your daughter wants you to fight for her. It's just the way girls (of all ages) are created. We want to know that we are worth the fight. One of the characters, Jacob (the werewolf) says, "I will fight for you until your heart stops beating." We as girls crave that sense of value, that someone cares enough for us to fight for us. We long to know that someone will fight for the things that are competition in our lives, to win our hearts.

Here's a tough question to answer: Does your daughter know you will fight for her? Does she know, really know, that you think she is worth the risk? Do you fight for her heart by your words and actions? Do you ask to spend time with her? Do you challenge her in the things she gives her heart away to? Or have you abdicated your parenting responsibility to your wife, the school, or the church?

2. Your daughter wants you to love her more than anything. Edward, Bela's vampire hearthrob, says, "I promise to love you every moment forever." What woman doesn't want to hear that? What girl doesn't want to know that she is more cherished than anything else in the world? In a culture that treats girls as disposable items to be used and discarded, girls desperately want to know that they are loved, really loved.

Here's another tough question: Does your daughter know that you love her more than anything (besides God and your spouse, of course)? Or does she feel like she competes for your love? Does she see that you treasure your job more than her? Your hobbies? Your money?

3. Your daughter wants you to guard and protect her heart. Our main protagonist Edward, makes a couple of strong statements. He says, "I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe again." He also says, "I'll protect you, no matter what."

This world is an unsafe place. Today's girls live without security. Terrorism. School shootings. Date rape. Mean girls. They need to know that there is one place where they can find safety and security. One place where they are protected.

Is your home safe? Not in terms of physical safety, although that is important. Rather, does your daughter feel emotionally secure in your home? Do your words encourage and strengthen her? Do you allow her to express her feelings without fear of being disregarded or demeaned? Does she know that you're a safe person to talk to? That you won't fly off the handle or go on a verbal tyrade?

You as a father play a critical role in the life of your daughter. Not only do you give her an example of how any man in her life should treat her, but you also give her a taste of the way the Heavenly Father feels about her.

What does your example tell her?