I have to admit, I'm a Harry Potter fan. Sorry. I said it. It's so ridiculous but those sort of films are right up my alley. I have read a couple of the books and they're just as entertaining as the movies. After typing this I can't help but feel like punching myself in the kidneys.
But it's TRUE. I like Harry.
And with the impending release of the final volume in the Harry Potter series, parents are up in arms due to a hint that our favorite bespectacled wizard (Sorry Gandolf...yer in second) might not be breathing when all is said and done. I would understand if parents were just upset cause they loved the character. I could get behind the argument that good should conquer evil, even if it's a far cry from reality.
But the fact of the matter is this: Parents are worried it will scar their kids.
SCAR THEIR KIDS?!?!
Look, this all leads me back to my old rants about the lack of real parenting. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and I hope that someone can come up with an argument about this. Not because I think I have an air-tight opinion, but because I think it deserves discussion. I truly believe we are raising our kids to fail. We're raising them to settle. We're raising them to accept mediocrity.
Good example: My kids played on a soccer league one summer. At the end of the league there was a little ceremony and EVERY team got a trophy. Twelve teams and they all got trophies. None of them said FIRST PLACE or THIRD or whatever. They all just said something to the affect of "Thanks for Playing."
Look, I know it's not fun to lose. And I know it's not fun to see your little kid upset because he/she isn't the next Pele' or Venus Williams. But if we award them across the board just for putting their shoes on walking onto the field, where is the incentive to get better? How do we teach sportsmanship without a lose or two?
Okay, I got off track...Harry Potter's possible death vs. Parents fear of emotional scarring. I don't know about you but I grew up watching lovable characters die. Bambi, Fox and the Hound, ET (okay he came back to life but it was still pretty upsetting). Hell, Disney cashed in on blasting characters!
So I say this to JK Rowling: KILL HARRY POTTER. Crash his broomstick into the ground. Light his dreamy hair on fire for all I care as long as THAT is what you planned to do. Don't bend to public opinion and don't assume the role of surrogate parent for these people
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To this day, I STILL cry during the bathroom scene in ET! Would you call that scarred for life? hahaha
Speaking of movies, I still need to go see Harry Potter and Transformers!
I agree. While I'm the first to admit that I don't let my daughter out of my sight in a public place (she's 12), it's only because I don't trust other people. Too many sickos out there. But other than that, I don't like to coddle her about the consequenses of failure. Yes, it's nice to feel the thrill of success. But I think it's equally important for people to experience failure. Failure teaches you that you can't do or have everything. But it also teaches you that you can do better for next time and strive to improve. I have to bite my lip when I see people who are afraid their kids will contract some flesh eating virus or plague from playing outside with other kids WITHOUT hand sanitizer. It's really hard sometimes to know how far to let kids go and how much to sheild them from.
I don't know, man. I think kids need to learn to fail. I mean, it sucks but it will definitely prepare them for real things
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Teresa, I know what you mean. There are still movies from my childhood that make me cry...like when they kill Jaws by shoving explosives in his mouth. That was sad.
I agree with you on this one. I was actually talking about the whole lack of losing for children these days recently. People need to learn how to deal with winning and losing.
Well, being new to the whole parenting thing, I can't say I have that much to add in the way of personal experience. I'm pretty sure, however, that I failed plenty of times (and I still do) and I still lived to talk about it.
As far as Harry Potter goes, I can't say I'm a fan. I almost had to skip the rest of your blog after the first paragraph. I felt it was important to comment about how you're as gay as the day is long, but I decided to tough it out without the use of hand sanitizer.
While I can't say that I still cry when ET almost kicks the bucket (mostly because I haven't seen that movie since the 80s) I do cry when I see your ugly face.
Talk about scarring a child emotionally.
Harry Potter is perhaps the greatest fictional character of our time. Far greater than Frodo Baggins, Anakin Skywalker or even Shaft.
When I look at his glasses-wearing face and see his broom-flying wizardry, I can't help but to feel that my face is going to melt, because he is so awesome. Perhaps even more awesome than ninjas. I know, that's a stretch, but I'm serious.
I almost feel like I'm going to cry when he battles that sumbitch from Azkaban and shares with us all his Chamber of Homesexual Secrets.
Sometimes I just can't handle it, so I go to my special Harry Potter room and meditate while listening to the soundtracks from the movies on an infinite loop. I light candles and try to think of Quidditch plays so I can help Harry and his friends win their next match.
Horray for Hairy Potter!
I sometimes cheat when I play games with my four-year-old (and I can see that he's greedy for victory) because I want him to lose and know that life is still fun and okay. He doesn't have to freak out and turn on the tears. I don't make my winning or his sister's winning a big deal either, though. We just play again and again and again. Of course, I am known to play jeopardy, scrabble, pente, or munchkin until 4am because I don't like to lose, either!
Oh! And what about Old Yeller *sniff* Tragedy is good for us! It keeps us HUMAN!
I think Harry Potter SHOULD die! What I don't like about Harry Potter is the fact that he and his friends CONTINUALLY disobey their elders and they always end up the heroes! What is THAT teaching our kiddos?!? Disobey and you'll be the hero! You know better than the adults! Do what you want and save the world! It's HORRIBLE! In real life, disobedience can have serious consequences! I hope he breaks a rule and finally reaps the consequences! Anyhoo...my little rant! ♥
My daughter is a horrible loser. So she's on the other end of the spectrum. She knows how it feels to lose and she completely hates it.
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