THE scene was straight out of a sitcom.

Father and daughter were dining in a restaurant. The dad, obviously fresh from the office, was frantically scanning the pages of a very thick book, while the girl, still in her school uniform, looked on, clearly impatient.

The book that the dad was checking for inappropriate content was “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series. The books have become a worldwide phenomenon and have been likened to Harry Potter in popularity. The movie (rated PG-13) just hit theaters last week and with tweens and teens heading to the cinemas in droves, more and more parents must be asking themselves—“Should we be worried?”

Some parents have embraced the series and have become fans themselves. (A number of them can be found on Twilightmoms.com.) But the rest are concerned about their children’s growing fascination with vampires.

In truth, you should probably be more concerned about “Gossip Girl,” but in the end, allowing your children to read the books and watch the movie will be your own decision to make. Make an informed one—watch the movie, read the series and then decide.

Don’t have time to read the series yourself? Here’s what you need to know about “Twilight.”

It was written by a Mormon mom. There’s no sex (at least not before marriage) in the book, but there is a lot of kissing.

“Twilight” is a love story—an unusual love story between a human and a vampire—but a love story nonetheless.

Edward Cullen and his family are not your typical vampires. They do not harm humans, feeding on animal blood instead. Even the bad vampires in the books who prey on humans wouldn’t give you nightmares.

There’s some violence in the books but it’s not a lot and it’s not graphic either. You get more blood and gore from your regular video game.

Despite being in love with a vampire, Bella, the series’ main character, is actually a good girl. She gets good grades in school and cooks for her father. Her parents’ safety is always her big concern. But she does let Edward sneak into her room at night.

Bella Swan does choose to become a vampire to be with Edward forever. She knows this means death and she knows this means letting go of her old life, of her friends and family, and this is something that she thinks about a lot before making this decision.

The series isn’t just about vampires; there are werewolves in it too.

Good vs. evil is a recurring theme.

Facing the consequences of one’s actions is another recurring theme.

“Twilight” is fiction and your children must realize that too, no matter how in love with Edward they claim to be.

Like “Harry Potter,” “Twilight” is a good way to encourage your teenagers to read even if they haven’t expressed an interest in books before.

The fourth book in the series, “Breaking Dawn,” is the one that requires the most parental guidance.