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ISSUES

Who'd be a parent?!

RICHARD STAPLES assesses his tactics on Harry Potter with his three young children

It's one of the hardest jobs in the world, if not the hardest. Surprisingly, there's no pay, and the hours are horrendous including early mornings and late nights. Having said that, get it anywhere nearly right and it has the best of all possible rewards.

Being a parent is something which you take up usually with no training and no previous experience - unless being a former child counts, but that's a bit like saying you can make doughnuts because you've eaten one in the past. After the early stage of nappies and sleep deprivation, as childhood progresses, moral and ethical decisions come into play.

The debate about smacking has vexed the politicians, unaided by the media's often simplistic coverage of the issues. The debate about what to do with children when they have been good has not really started.

The month of July in our house is birthday month for two of our children. This involves throwing parties for any number of other small people, but in such a way that they seem distinctive and cleverly focused on the particular child involved. The fact that they are of different genders is a big help in doing this, but the planning and organisation involved would stump even the best logistical expert.

Add to that the requirement that the third child should not feel left out, and you have the reason that the adults in our house are poised to run up huge psychiatrists' bills - or if not, then the children are.

This is where I need your help. It's all about Harry Potter. Last month the Bulgarian Orthodox Church lashed out against the popular fictional boy wizard, warning that magic spells are both real and dangerous.

In a front-page article in the June edition of the official Church newspaper, the Church said: "magic is not a children's game". An Orthodox bishop said that the Church was not in favour of J K Rowling's Harry Potter books and films, because magic existed in reality.

The whole issue is troubling the Bulgarians not because they are in an angst-ridden state following their poor performance in Euro 2004 - if that were the case the piece would have been in The Guardian weeks ago - but because a Bulgarian boy, Stanislav Ianevski, has been cast for the next Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The boy will play the part of Viktor Krum, who in the story is a Bulgarian champion in a fictional team game called Quidditch.

The saga of young Potter has divided Christians as much as women priests in the Church of England or the whole issue of homosexuality. I'm not sure whether the fault lines are similar but certainly the feelings engendered are as strong. Briefly, ahead of a carol service in York Minster, I met and spoke with a librarian who was a devout Christian and said how well the books of Philip Pullman were written, how good the stories were and how unfortunate that they were not Christian-friendly.

Rather than complaining about the books themselves she was more concerned that no Christian author was writing similarly classy novels with a Christian message, however obscure. The Archbishop of York has said how church services should bring back the mystery that encompasses the Potter books.

The appeal of the stories about magic is just that. As with the Narnia tales, children of today are enchanted as children 30 or more years ago were with CS Lewis's writings. Part of the appeal of JK Rowling's invention is that missing 30 years when nothing that has generated such interest has been written - or indeed read.

So how should we as parents respond? Not knowing about Harry Potter is not an option. Playground friends tell the stories and race to see the latest film or speed-read the latest book. Playstation 2 games and Gameboy games of Quidditch are swapped between children. The merchandising is all pervasive, just as it has been with Teletubbies and Winnie the Pooh before.

The course of action I have chosen is to read the books to my children - well, the first three at least. Book four is a monster in length, challenged only by book five. I have read all five and am happy for the children to read those we have read together. The films are less of a problem as Emily gets scared in Piglet the Movie, let alone anything more realistic.

The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford are planning to show the latest Harry Potter movie on its Imax screen in the summer holidays - five stories high and with wrap-around sound. It's supposed to be scarier than the other films. I'm not sure I even want to go to that!

I think ignoring the whole Potter phenomenon is not an option for parents either. Parental guidance is far better, and if we keep talking about it all, and reasoning it out, that surely must be healthy, even though we might not make it into the Bulgarian Orthodox fold.

Richard Staples is Senior Journalist, Community Affairs at BBC Radio Leeds

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		ISSUES Who'd be a parent?! RICHARD STAPLES assesses his tactics on Harry Potter with his three young children It's one of the hardest jobs in the world, if not the hardest. Surprisingly, there's no pay, and the hours are horrendous including early mornings and late nights. Having said that, get it anywhere nearly right and it has the best of all possible rewards. Being a parent is something which you take up usually with no training and no previous experience - unless being a former child counts, but that's a bit like saying you can make doughnuts because you've eaten one in the past. After the early stage of nappies and sleep deprivation, as childhood progresses, moral and ethical decisions come into play. The debate about smacking has vexed the politicians, unaided by the media's often simplistic coverage of the issues. The debate about what to do with children when they have been good has not really started. The month of July in our house is birthday month for two of our children. This involves throwing parties for any number of other small people, but in such a way that they seem distinctive and cleverly focused on the particular child involved. The fact that they are of different genders is a big help in doing this, but the planning and organisation involved would stump even the best logistical expert. Add to that the requirement that the third child should not feel left out, and you have the reason that the adults in our house are poised to run up huge psychiatrists' bills - or if not, then the children are. This is where I need your help. It's all about Harry Potter. Last month the Bulgarian Orthodox Church lashed out against the popular fictional boy wizard, warning that magic spells are both real and dangerous. In a front-page article in the June edition of the official Church newspaper, the Church said: "magic is not a children's game". An Orthodox bishop said that the Church was not in favour of J K Rowling's Harry Potter books and films, because magic existed in reality. The whole issue is troubling the Bulgarians not because they are in an angst-ridden state following their poor performance in Euro 2004 - if that were the case the piece would have been in The Guardian weeks ago - but because a Bulgarian boy, Stanislav Ianevski, has been cast for the next Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The boy will play the part of Viktor Krum, who in the story is a Bulgarian champion in a fictional team game called Quidditch. The saga of young Potter has divided Christians as much as women priests in the Church of England or the whole issue of homosexuality. I'm not sure whether the fault lines are similar but certainly the feelings engendered are as strong. Briefly, ahead of a carol service in York Minster, I met and spoke with a librarian who was a devout Christian and said how well the books of Philip Pullman were written, how good the stories were and how unfortunate that they were not Christian-friendly. Rather than complaining about the books themselves she was more concerned that no Christian author was writing similarly classy novels with a Christian message, however obscure. The Archbishop of York has said how church services should bring back the mystery that encompasses the Potter books. The appeal of the stories about magic is just that. As with the Narnia tales, children of today are enchanted as children 30 or more years ago were with CS Lewis's writings. Part of the appeal of JK Rowling's invention is that missing 30 years when nothing that has generated such interest has been written - or indeed read. So how should we as parents respond? Not knowing about Harry Potter is not an option. Playground friends tell the stories and race to see the latest film or speed-read the latest book. Playstation 2 games and Gameboy games of Quidditch are swapped between children. The merchandising is all pervasive, just as it has been with Teletubbies and Winnie the Pooh before. The course of action I have chosen is to read the books to my children - well, the first three at least. Book four is a monster in length, challenged only by book five. I have read all five and am happy for the children to read those we have read together. The films are less of a problem as Emily gets scared in Piglet the Movie, let alone anything more realistic. The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford are planning to show the latest Harry Potter movie on its Imax screen in the summer holidays - five stories high and with wrap-around sound. It's supposed to be scarier than the other films. I'm not sure I even want to go to that! I think ignoring the whole Potter phenomenon is not an option for parents either. Parental guidance is far better, and if we keep talking about it all, and reasoning it out, that surely must be healthy, even though we might not make it into the Bulgarian Orthodox fold. Richard Staples is Senior Journalist, Community Affairs at BBC Radio Leeds © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.