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Dear parents of Twilight Twi-natics,

By the time you read this, the worst will have passed. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is out and in theaters, and your child will have seen the movie at least once.

For weeks now, your once (slightly) sane teenager has been counting down and eagerly anticipating the film's debut. The four-part book series about the forbidden love between vampire Edward Cullen and teen Bella Swan has captivated tweens, teens and sadly, adult females, and the move to the big screen has proved lucrative for the series as well.

The second installment "New Moon" deals with the break-up of Edward and Bella after the vampire heartthrob realizes she's in danger, just by being with him. Poor Bella falls into a deep depression, cozies up to werewolf Jacob and pushes her physical boundaries to the extreme.

It was this book that began a feud and begs a very important question: Team Edward or Team Jacob? If you have more than one teenage daughter in the house and they disagree on this fundamental question, I'm sorry. Neither camp is willing to give any ground, and it could get violent.

If your daughter is on Team Edward, she's probably gazed dreamily or even drooled at any glimpse of Robert Pattinson and imagined the day that he would bite her, making her icy cold and sparkly like our "hero." Those in Team Jacob's camp argue that their furry favorite stuck by Bella, through thick and thin. Or they'll just point out that he's smoking hot and muscly as all werewolves should be.

I know, it's a lot to take in. And there are at least two more movies that will follow, so don't expect the craze to end too quickly.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is not the first thing to get adolescent girls stirred up, nor will it be the last.

Looking back over my 28 years, I can think of plenty of crazes that I was caught up in.

I think I was in second grade when the band New Kids on the Block first gained popularity. They laid the groundwork for future "boy bands" and gave me one of my first real crushes: Joe McEntire. (He went by Joe back then because he was so young that he wanted to appear older. He goes by Joey now, I think -- same kind of reasoning, though.)

I was nuts about the band. I had dolls, pajamas, posters, albums, etc. I even had the New Kids on bed sheets. That was 20 years ago, and the New Kids lost their popularity, and I lost interest. I still had a special place in my heart for their songs, but I didn't need to wear my NKOTB pjs anymore.

Then there was the Harry Potter craze. Some of you are all too familiar with that one. Author J.K. Rowling hit a gold mine when she penned the tale of the boy wizard, again spawning some really successful films. Generally, the furor surrounding Harry is calm, until a new book is released or another movie makes its debut. Then all the Potter fans go, well, a little crazy and pull their robes out of the closet.

Don't get me wrong. I've been one of those crazed fans before. And I even got sucked into the "Twilight" craziness. I've read all the books and even seen the two movies. Yes, that includes the one that just came out this week. I even wrote a column last year about "Twilight" and how I could understand the fascination with Edward.

You see, any age can get sucked into a fad. Even adults are pulled into crazes, as I was with "Twilight." I recognize that the plots are silly, the writing poor and the movies barely average, but yet I still watch them and I still read the books. No, Robert Pattinson isn't attractive and does nothing for me, but as Edward something just worked.

Before you start worrying too much about your Twilight Twi-natics, consider all the fads and crazes of years past. Remember the days of drooling over Tom Cruise? Everything the man touched might as well have turned to gold. Now though, his star doesn't shine quite as brightly for many.

Maybe it was a movie, a book or a heartthrob that made your heart beat a little faster. Remember how good it felt? Remember also that it didn't last?

This, too, shall pass and reason will kick in. No, your Team Edward members won't always size their necks up for an immortal love-bite. And no, Team Jacob members aren't really going to live in the forest in the hopes of finding a wolf that will turn into a muscle-bound man.

So until the next fan-craze comes along, just breathe and smother your smile as your Twi-natic laments the twists and turns of the saga. Remember, you were in their shoes once, too.

Amanda Greever is assistant managing editor for print at The Daily Times. She writes a weekly column in Women's Times. She can be reached at 981-1161 or amanda.greever@thedailytimes.com. Check out her blog, greever.blountblogs.com, or follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/agreever_editor.