by Monwan

Created on: January 10, 2009

Many girls like romance, therefore they read romantic fiction. It is understandable that people may be concerned that teenagers reading romantic fiction may develop an unrealistic view of life (or love), but that concern, as a generalization, is unwarranted.

I started reading romance novels in junior high. Sweet Valley High and Harlequin romances sparked my interest in reading, which led me to many many other books and genres that I never would have tried. It ultimately led me to majoring in English in college and reading classics like Jane Austen, Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Joseph Heller. Romances also piqued my interest in science fiction, fantasy, history (I even minored in it!), and mysteries. Okay, so I may be an extreme case of where teenagers reading romance novels can lead to. So let's

explore some of the issues.

Will teenager romance readers have unrealistic expectations of love? Hmmin all honesty, it is a possibility. But that will depend on the teenager. Reading romances won't influence a teenager any more than watching television shows like One Tree Hill. In fact, a romance novel (written for teenagers or adults) could in fact be more positive than watching soap operas because romance novels most often focus on one couple and show how that couple had to overcome strife and adversity to finally become a couple. It teaches teenagers that love
isn't always easy (it is up to you to decide if love is worth the effort!). Soap operas tend to show couples bed hopping and lots of over the top drama. So if your teenager can watch television and know that it is fiction, you should be comfortable believing that they will know that what she reads is fiction too.

Will teenager romance readers have unrealistic expectations about money? Who knows! Popular novels and television rarely portray real characters with real money problems, so it is a toss up. So unless she seriously talks about not worrying about money because prince charming will come and save the day, there is nothing to worry about.
And anyway, it's the responsibility of parents to teach kids about
moneydon't leave it to authors to take care of that job!

Will teenager romance readers have unrealistic expectations about crime? Since mystery romance novels will almost always end with the cops catching the bad guy, it could give an unrealistic view about the ability of police departments to solve every crime. Of course, no one worries about teenagers reading mysteries. In fact, most young readers are encouraged to start reading mysteries about Nancy Drew, and later to grow into Agatha Christie novels.
So there really is no concern here.

How about teenage romance readers who read books about vampires and werewolves and magic and.well, let's just say that if your teenager shows signs of believing in these, then you have more worries than just what your teenager is reading.

Finally, I don't want to discourage any parents from monitoring what their kids are reading.
It is just as important as knowing what television shows or movies they are watching, video games they are playing, or where they are hanging out with friends. These are all factors that can help parents know their children and whether or not their kids have any problems that should be addressed. But if there are no other signs that there is a problem with your child than she is reading a romance novel, then I say that you shouldn't worry.

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