Twilight Movie Blamed for Boy's Biting Binge

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Mar 31st 2009 2:00PM

Categories: Teens & tweens, Weird But True, Media

According to a dad in Des Moines, vampires are to blame for his son's recent misbehavior. Specifically, he says his 13-year-old son went on a biting spree at his middle school because of the movie "Twilight". Yes, that's right. Dad says his boy didn't mean to hurt anyone, he just bit 11 students because he saw some actors in a movie do it.

For those who haven't seen it, the film is based on the series of novels by Stephenie Meyer. Popular with tweens and teens, the movie's plot centers around a beautiful high school girl who falls in love with a handsome boy who happens to be a vampire.

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The unidentified boy's bid to be the vampire of McCombs Middle School came to an abrupt end when he chomped on the hand of a 13-year-old girl at a track meet. She took her complaint to the principal, who discovered a trail of bite marks inflicted by the boy since mid February. Fortunately, none of the victims were rendered undead. The boy, however, was given a delayed referral to juvenile court on an assault charge.

Dad shifting the blame for his son's actions onto the "Twilight" movie irks me, but what really gets me is his insistence that his son didn't mean to hurt anyone. Of course he did! Even a 3-year-old knows that biting hurts. If this kid truly didn't realize that sinking his teeth into his classmates would cause them physical pain, then perhaps there is something more going on here than just a deluded vampire fantasy. At the very least, I'd say the boy isn't mature enough to be seeing a PG-13 movie.

What this kid did was wrong and he should take responsibility for it and be punished accordingly. But something tells me that with a father so willing to dismiss his behavior as harmless fun and games, we haven't heard the last from this family.

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Comments (64)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Mihir 3-31-2009 @ 3:12PM

i don't think i can roll my eyes back far enough into my head

ame s 3-31-2009 @ 5:40PM

Me either!
I'm sorry, That Dad, but by the age of 11 kids know it is not acceptable to bite other kids. That Dad is an idiot to even try to blame his son's misbehavior and his own lame parenting skills on a movie.
At least the little demon didn't copy a movie where some fool whipped out a gun.

Raven 3-31-2009 @ 8:10PM

It's obvious he was never taught the difference between reality and fantasy. If a dad is going to take his kid to see these kinds of movies, he needs to spend some time before and after explaining real versus not real.

Jennifer 4-07-2009 @ 11:19PM

When I was in High School, my little sister was in Junior High, and there was a "biting spree" going around the Junior High, and 10 people were arrested for it. I'm 19 years old, and a freshman in College...my little sister is now a 17 and a Junior in High School. This happened WAY before "Twilight" ever came out as a book or movie. My point is, a movie shouldn't be blamed for this. The father should for not making his son realize that it's just a movie, it's not real life, and for not teaching his son what is right and wrong. I guess when someone gets seriously injured in a speeding accident, the parents will balme the "Fast and Furious" movies.

Jennifer 4-05-2009 @ 11:56PM

When I was in High School, my little sister was in Junior High, and
there was a "biting spree" going around the Junior High, and 10
people were arrested for it. I'm 19 years old, and a freshman in
College...my little sister is now a 17 and a Junior in High School.
This happened WAY before "Twilight" ever came out as a book or movie.
My point is, a movie shouldn't be blamed for this. The father should
for not making his son realize that it's just a movie, it's not real
life, and for not teaching his son what is right and wrong. I guess
when someone gets seriously injured in a speeding accident, the
parents will balme the "Fast and Furious" movies.

LS 3-31-2009 @ 4:29PM

Remember our bully discussion from last week? http://www.parentdish.com/2009/03/26/telling-your-kid-to-hit-the-bully-back-how-bad/ This is the perfect example of that. Had one of the first eleven kids stood up to this biting BULLY, he probably would have stopped. Or at least it would have come to the attention of the authorities much sooner.

But we are such a touchy-feely world now, we can't "offend" anyone, we can't "label" anyone, and we *certainly* can't fight back, because that would be politically incorrect or something equally stupid.

This kid should have received a bloody nose from the first person he bit. Period.

Bromac 4-02-2009 @ 1:29PM

I didn't comment last week b/c I was trying to hold my tongue. I have absolutely no idea why you think violence is acceptable. Even in response to voilence. That's like spanking your kid for hitting someone at school. You simply reinforce violent behavior. i would not be at all surprised if your child(ren) become violent adults. It's a shame a parent is promoting this.

LS 4-02-2009 @ 1:44PM

Because, Bromac, sometimes, violence IS the answer to violence. Especially with children. If you had read my comments (that I referenced) on bullying with children, you'd understand where I'm coming from.

Talking it out is not always the answer, especially with bullies, as this child clearly is. They understand violence because that is their language. It's like talking to someone from another country. You cannot communicate with them if you are speaking English and they are speaking Chinese. It simply does not work. Another form of communication must happen.

In this case, this child initiated conversation in a violent manner, and was allowed to continue with that violence through 11 more children before he was stopped. How many other kids would he have bitten if the first time he did it, the violence was returned in kind?

LS 4-02-2009 @ 1:46PM

And seriously, Bromac, I got you frothing mad with MY opinion - letting the kids deal with it, and you had no problem with the very next comment, which advocated raping the father with a foreign object? Fascinating.

Sarah 4-05-2009 @ 11:26PM

Bromac is a complete idiot. I was spanked as a child and certainly don't go around punching people. That being said, there's a huge difference between spanking a child and beating one.
Spanking is fine. It didn't damage me or make me feel that hitting is always the answer. Intelligent parents use spanking as a last resort. Our parents did ground us and take away privileges as well.

LS was correct. Our parents taught us to stand up for ourselves. If someone hurts you you don't just sit there and take it. You DEFEND yourself. That is different from just going around and punching people Bromac. Maybe you need an education in discipline.

Lauren 4-06-2009 @ 1:54AM

Bromac- It is moron parents like you that say "hey they kids just testing the boundries/ being creative...different" when your kids start wearing black trench coats and then whoopsie they have shot up the school. You make me want to scream- have you not noticed or do you not read the "real grown-up" news (is it too much to handle) that since people have stopped spanking their kids they whole world is going to shit? This world is falling apart and its because of NO morals or examples. Generation after Generation is worse- I AM SCARED

Melissa 3-31-2009 @ 9:10PM

I don't see how the father can blame "Twilight" for this. Even if the son has seen/read the series, the father (and mother, for that matter) should have enforced that it's FICTION, aka NOT TRUE.

jules 4-01-2009 @ 3:55AM

I second the remark made about this kid not being mature enough to see any PG13 flicks....not to mention YUP, 'dad' is a moron for blaming a movie that has a whopping total of.... like - what?! - one actual 'bite scene'?! [James/Bella at the dance studio] I could see blaming a movie like the original Lost Boys or something... but good grief -TWILIGHT?! This movie was sooooooo tame!!

watdafuk 3-31-2009 @ 8:41PM

WTF are you talkin about?

Sherry 3-31-2009 @ 8:49PM

WOW! Where does one even begin? A three year old knows right from wrong and knows that biting inflicts pain, a thirteen year old definitely knows that and should have been taught right from wrong if not at home, schools definitely do. The biggest lesson he is learning from his dad is that he doesnt have to be responsible for his actions to blame society, Hollywood, books, the media, and everyone else but himself.

I also agree with LS, the first kid should have at the very least told someone, if not give him an old fashioned bloody nose. Although I dont condone violence of any sort, I am about sick of the we have to treat everyone wonderfully and nobody loses and nobody tells you no, all of that leads to kids like this one who run around biting other kids and nobody says boo or kids like those that shoot up schools.

I still cant believe that a thirteen year old did this!

TayKayMai 3-31-2009 @ 8:52PM

Right. I saw someone biting ppl in a vid so.....I'M A VAMP AND U CAN'T STOP ME! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Is that what is running through the kid's head? Hello u rn't a vampire stupid. Jeez, like anyone really blives that.

Mama 3-31-2009 @ 8:53PM

I am a substitute teacher and I work at middle school and high school. My kids would not have put up with that nonsense for a minute! I guess at "Namby-Pamby Junior High" in Des Moines, no one has the gonads to either hit back or tell a teacher. Had he bitten the kids at the schools I sub at, he would be gumming his lunch for quite awhile!

Kelly 3-31-2009 @ 9:17PM

Yes because vampires are always biting people on the hand
**eyeroll**

Tracy 4-05-2009 @ 10:02PM

Thats how it went in the movie/book. James just bites her on the hand.

Gabrielle 4-01-2009 @ 4:13PM

First of all, this father can't blame Twilight for his son's biting fetish because NONE OF THE VAMPIRES EVER BIT ANYONE IN TWILIGHT! It's more of a romance than a vampire movie! There is barely any violence at all! Find another movie to blame Dad.