As a kid I LOVED reading books. Every night dad would read to me before bed, and if he wasn't home yet mom would. Then, I got into 1st grade. With every book I read I had to write a book report, and so, my love for reading diminished. Reading became a chore, I didn't read for the fun of it, but because I had to. That continued until 3rd grade. One night when I was getting ready for bed I found a book under my pillow (mom placed it there as a surprise). She told me to give it a try. I opened the book and read, and read, and read. That book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the first book of a 7 part series. I couldn't put it down. Once I finished it, I read it again. I was immersed in a world of adventure, magic, friendship and a fight between good versus evil.
I wasn't a nerd about the books, I read them, some more than once and I was in line for the midnight release of each following book. I was reading again, and loving it. My friends shared in the excitement of the books, and we had a great time talking about them. Then, to our excitement, we found out they were to be made into movies. Our excitement grew.
As our excitement grew, it was also met by book banning in schools and in churches. I heard of parents who would not allow their children to read the books and it shocked me. There are several books out there about witches and wizards, the beloved Lord of The Rings trilogy is filled with magic and wizards. I could not, and still do not understand why Harry Potter is condemned. I have even searched the internet for direct info regarding what the Catholic Church, in particular the Pope, has said about it and could not find any trusted searches regarding the issue. I searched the vatican website as well and the only thing I found about Harry Potter was a review "a British view from Japan on "Tolkein Versus Rowling". In it he addresses some differences between Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings, this of course in not church teaching, but the vatican did put include it on their site, so maybe thats something to think about.
As a soon to be parent, I am beginning to understand where parents are coming from when choosing what they will and will not allow their kids to watch and read. Some things I agree with, and others I don't. When it comes to the Harry Potter series, I have come to the conclusion that you have to be careful, as you should with everything in the media. Children are vulnerable, and should keep their innocence for as long as possible. Don't simply let your children loose with the books without giving them the proper guidance, show them that it is fiction, it is not real. To have an imagination and to stimulate it, I think, is a valuable thing, as long as one can separate what is real, from what is not. My parents let my sister and I read the books (my brother is still to young), and we are strong, faithful Catholics that can defend our faith. When my husband and I feel our children are old enough to "handle" the books, we will let them.
As my husband and I walked out of the theater yesterday (we saw Harry Potter 7), he said "well, it's over, this is something our kids won't experience." I asked him what he meant, since, of course the books and movies are around still. He said, "our kids won't experience the anticipation of the next Harry Potter book, or the midnight showing for the next movie." I had never thought of it like that. That was part of the fun of the whole series, both for the books and the movies, the anticipation. The waiting in line with my dad for the 3rd book that I pre-ordered. Or waiting with my cousins in line for 5 hours for Part 1 of the 7th movie. A piece of my childhood has passed, but I have memories, and I'll get to share them with my kids. After all...
It all ends.
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