Getting exactly what I wished for

In the middle of the Harry Potter craze, I hadn't picked up a book. I tend to avoid very popular things; I guess I'm more comfortable going along to the beat of my own drum rather than joining the band. My favorite authors aren't necessarily the most recognized names, but as much as I like to read, I should have realized that I was going to have to pick up a JK Rowling book at one point. That time came when I joined a book club years ago in Stockton. We each got a month to choose a book for everyone to read, and I believe Goblet of Fire had just come out, so they all wanted to read Harry Potter. Being forced into it, however, I also refused to start in the middle and insisted that if they were going to make me read Harry Potter, we were going to start at the beginning. And so I borrowed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from a friend...and so began my obsession with everything Harry Potter. I borrowed the first four books and waited on pins and needles for the next to be released, gorging myself on websites dedicated to decoding the clues in the previous books to find what was coming next. Every time a release was coming, I would steadfastly tell myself that I did not need to go down and get my book at midnight, that I was far too old to participate in such childish behavior, only to find myself in line at midnight devouring my book while I waited to pay. I developed a habit when I would pick it up at midnight, one my husband was lovingly willing to help me out with. I would go pick up my book at midnight, then come home and read as fast as I could until I just couldn't stay awake any longer. As soon as I woke, I would read all day, sometimes for days until I finished--only to begin again, this time more slowly, to really pick up all the nuances of the writing. My husband affectionately dubbed me a Harry Potter nerd, and has always been my willing partner to all the movies (only to be disappointed that the story was changed or rearranged in ways that I couldn't accept).

For years now, I have been anxious for the day when the kids would finally read the books and be hooked the way that I am. I knew this was something we could all do together, and I was always pushing the books on them too early (Bailey read Sorcerer's Stone in first grade but wasn't ready for the whole series at such a young age). I finally got her in fourth grade when all her friends were reading Twilight and I refused to let her read them. My misdirection worked very well then with getting her so hooked on Harry Potter that she then encouraged all of her friends to read them as well so they could talk about HP instead of Twilight.

But even that couldn't satisfy my craving for all of my children to be hooked on Harry Potter. And so this year, I finally got my son to begin Sorcerer's Stone. And he said to Bailey the exact same thing that Bailey said to me when he had finished, "Why didn't you tell me these were so good?". Bailey and I laughed and told him we'd been saying it for years, but he got the bug into Lindsay, and so my youngest began Sorcerer's Stone as well (only a second grader, she's just can't let her big brother get too far ahead of her). Cole is currently working on Goblet of Fire, and Lindsay just started Prisoner of Azkaban, but they're hooked. And so we come to my cautionary tale of how much I wanted my kids to love Harry Potter. Just last week, when I picked them up from school, I had to tell Cole that he's not British, nor is he Harry Potter and he was going to drive me nuts if he insisted to speak in a British accent. I am often called upon to correct a detail found in the books or to get the correct pronunciation of a spell, as the Harry Potter expert in residence. And I have to say, the kids have all three been playing together very well lately. They hole up in Cole's room and all I hear is their own stories and adventures as Harry Potter (Cole), Hermione (Lindsay), and a set builder with Legos (Bailey). As a side note, Cole was Harry Potter for Halloween and looked so good that he had people stop him out trick or treating and ask to take his picture. He is so hoping that they will want to re-do the movies with an American kid so that he can have his chance to play Harry Potter for real. He plans to reprise this role for Halloween this year with Lindsay as his sidekick. Her biggest concern is that mom won't be able to get her hair bushy enough to be a convincing Hermione.

On the other hand, I shouldn't complain because my children have become even more creative in this endeavor than anything they've ever done. Cole is writing a script for a movie that he wants to do with his classmates as the cast. And while I won't lend them my video camera should they ever be ready to film it, I will gladly step in as cameraman so that they can make their own movie, bad British accents and all.