Did you do the Harry Potter thing last night?
If so, how was it?
We are on the fence in terms of all things Harry. Being the curious sort, though, I’d love to hear where you all stand (or as in our case, sit).
Lots of Coffee, lots of kids. It's a peaceful life.
Hi there!
We just picked up the book this morning and should have an answer within the next few days.
I am still on the fence too – although I’m leaning toward the side of “NO” to Harry Potter. Several years ago, I read the first 3 books and really enjoyed them. At the time, my children were babies and I wasn’t even thinking about the books in terms of their influence on children. Now, my oldest is 10 and I know that he will be asking soon(can’t believe he hasn’t already). So, I am doing a little research myself. A friend just emailed an article to me, written by O’Brien, who is a Catholic homeschooling father and also an author of children’s fiction. Its a long article so I need to print it off to read – but the parts that I have skimmed, make me REALLY think about getting rid of the 3 books I have on my shelf and not ever buying the remaining books. On the surface, the books I did read are fun and creative and interesting, but I do see how witchcraft is glamorized and made to seem “normal”
NO fences for us. We have allowed Big Brother to read Harry Potter ever since he was in second grade and got interested in it. While my husband and I read the first couple (more to see if they were appropriate in content and reading level to a child of his age & ability), we have stopped “previewing” the books for him. We are well aware that our son has a good grasp of the difference between fantasy and reality, and a good grasp on what we believe as Catholics.
We let him play Dungeons and Dragons, too. TheDad has done this since he was a teen, and he taught Big Brother all about how to play–and he runs a game with the Boy Scouts every summer at camp.
Last night Big Brother met 15 friends at the bookstore event and they hung out all evening waiting for the books. Some of them didn’t even buy the books. They were just there to be with their friends. And today, NONE of them are on “instant messenger” because they are all busy reading.
As an English major, I want my son to enjoy fiction and to understand what fiction is. I think we’re good on both counts.
I picked it up at the grocery store this morning – no waiting in line at midnight for me, thank you very much! Only on chapter 3 so far…
My kids aren’t big enough to read books yet, so I don’t know if I’ll change my mind in a number of years, but I feel like it’s just a story, and will have conversations with them about the fact that it is fiction. I just enjoy a good read, and I don’t let the whole witchcraft thing get in the way of my enjoyment. Don’t know if that’s bad or not Catholic, but just MHO.
I’ve read 3 or 4 books myself and haven’t had too much of a problem with them, but my kids are still too young to really be interested. My oldest boy is 9, so I’ll have to deal with it soon, though. I think I’ll read Nancy Brown’s new book on the topic before I make a decision on when my children can read it, even if the when is closer to adulthood than childhood. All in all, I think some people have a greater problem with the genre than anything else. I like fantasy-fiction (more when I was younger, of course), and don’t feel that the genre is evil. I swear, I think some people would ban C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as well.
I’ve never read a word of HP – or seen a movie even. But I think I will check it out eventually. And it looks like, maybe – I can comment again.
My nine year old Delaney is reading them. She’s on book three. I haven’t read them at all, though I’m thinking I should read the first couple at least, just so I know. I can’t see how obvious fiction is detrimental to their mental health or faith formation, though.
Interestingly, someone mentioned recently that if witchcraft was real, it would have commercial value. An invisibility cloak alone would be worth a fortune!
My kids have seen the first two movies because my husband let them. We’re sort of divided on this. Somehow it seems like the dcision was kinda made though eventually. I dont let the books come in the house and I dont plan on getting any more movies. I just think there are plenty of other good books out there for kids to read without reading things that are questionable.
I have not read others’ comments, so I hope I do not repeat anyone. We, too, are on the fence. This just came up last week at our homeschool summer park/lake thing. I think the danger is that this wizardry stuff is very real, kids messing with the occult, etc, is a very real thing out there, spells, witches, etc… versus, say, Star Wars, where “The Force” is not really a thing that exists. My son is really into Star Wars, and has not shown interest in Harry, mostly because we have not fostered an interest in it, and I guess we have no plans to.
I adore the Harry Books. I think they are a great story of love and and friendship. Like Michelle said, Nancy Brown has written a nice Catholic Guide for families. Her book has had several really positive reviews; I’d definitely use it as a guide if you’re thinking about HP. My boys are too young for the books yet, but I have enjoyed all of them.
I picked up our copy last night (I was going to wait until this morning, but I just couldn’t), but so far I’m only up to chapter 3. It’s definitely a good one though!!
Here’s another one of the fence! Or better, almost on the other side of the fence– if it weren’t for the catholic & intelligent friends who are on the HP side. Never read them, never rented the films. Hey, there are excellent books and films out there!
You know where I stand on this issue, Margaret, and I have one bit of advice for moms who haven’t read them, but would maybe start with Book One. My advice is start with the most recent book. If it makes you think twice for just a moment, don’t let your children read them. I believe that the Harry Potter books are like the frog in the cold water — eventually the frog boils. Harry Potter started fun and “fantastic.” By the third book, it’s fairly scary and further on becomes dark and even gruesome. I think most parents, had they seen from the very beginning where Harry Potter was going to end up, would have said “no thanks.” I personally don’t think there is anything innocent about witchcraft.
This is one of those “heated issues” with so many of us moms…
I have little to say except I agree with many of you on this point: there is so much good CLASSIC literature out there, we’ll never have enough time to read ALL of them – so why are we throwing in pop-fiction?? IMHO, it;s like feeding our kids fast food rather than a truly homecooked meal.
That being said, with the HP issue, I am glad my oldest is 4. We will never have the books in our home, and in 5 years they will not be classics so there will never be a need to even discuss this in our home.
But since there will always be another pop-fiction fad to replace HP, and another after that, we err towards the classics and when our children do read “mind-candy” it will not contradict our faith in a way that is compromising – at 9 years old!!
Reading these HP books as teens/adults is a completely different discussion as their minds are more able to distinguish between reality and fantasy much better.
So, I guess that is where I come down on it. My husband reads fantasy-fiction and loves it. I like some of it, but typically it is just not my style. But I appreciate the genre.. and I think it has it’s place. The trick is finding truly high quality works that will enrich their minds and heighten their senses – think Tolkien, Lewis, Lawhead, Martin, Brooks. But for me, it is about age, and capacity for reason & logic.
With my previous comment, I re-read it and saw that at the beginning I came across as anti-mind candy type books and later seemed to contradict. That wasn’t my intention.
Since I wrote in stream of consciousness, it took me a while to make my point.
That point simply boils down to this:
While the classics are certainly preferred reading for the mainstay of our literary diet, mind-candy certainly has a place & time and must be chosen carefully with a sense for the child’s age, intellect, and sensitivity.
Sorry if I was unclear.
I have only read the first 3 or maybe 4 books but my husband has read them all (he’s in the middle of the last one). He remarked yesterday that the books are increasing in terms of reading difficulty and “dark” subject matter. We talked about how there were Little Kids (age 4 or 5) at the bookstore event, and how there are Little Kids whose parents think this is good bedtime read-aloud stuff. He said that maybe only the first 2 books qualify for that. His rating for book 7 was “PG-13.”
No fences here…I love Harry! And I make no apologies about it.
They’re FICTION! And I seriously doubt they’re likely to lure me into the occult. 😉
Would I let my kids read them? Maybe in several years, but my oldest is only five. NOT the targeted audience!
I Think HP is a missed opportunity to evangilize. It TONS of Christian imagery, and a great story of Good vs. Evil. I think they are so popular because people want to hear this story–we need to help them see it’s end in Christ! (I’m halfway through. . .)
I have already gone on and on about the subject but one thing I’d like to address is the “pop fiction” comment. It kind of made me giggle because…wasn’t EVERY “classic” actually “pop fiction” at one time or another? Couldn’t Harry Potter be considered a classic sometime in the future? I also think that some so-called “classics” should not be considered classics at all. It’s mostly a matter of opinion. Like wine choices. Some people like “two-buck chuck” and some like the 200 dollar bottle. Some like them for the taste and some for even different reasons than price or taste. I might say that a certain wine is bitter while you might think it’s sweet. It all has to do with where you come from, your experiences, and your expectations. Books and wine? I’ve never made that analogy before but I do think it works!