Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Sunday, July 19, 2009

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ: Watch out for those Harry Potter films because they'll ruin your children for life, or so some people would say. The "ruinous" effect must be in the fact that these books and films fire children's imagination, lift their spirits and bring a joy to them that they haven't found in any other film series.

True, the theme is about magic and witchcraft and all manner of incredible creatures, good and bad. There are people who come to the aid of others, kids who cheat on their homework assignments, cast spells to gain some advantage and exercise truly scary powers. Even Harry has his shortcomings, but isn't that what "normal" is all about? We don't condone cheating anymore than we do robbing banks or doing drugs, but who hasn't "cheated" in some small manner in their lives? Have you taken a paper clip from the office, come in a bit late and signed in earlier, broken out in a smile when you bought an item for a lower-than-intended price? Take a look at that commercial where the woman looks at the bill in a store and then yells to her husband, "Start the car! Start the car!" thinking she's just gotten a real "steal" of a bargain in the store. Do you understand her joy or revile her for her evil ways? I bet you understand her.

The True "Evil" in Harry Potter

What has this evil Harry Potter given us? For one thing, he got our kids to read. He even got our adults to read. I remember sitting on a plane and gazing across the aisle where I saw a man, who must have been a grandfather, reading a Harry Potter book. Was he reading it to bone up for the quiz from his grandkids or was he reading it for enjoyment? My guess is both enjoyment and he wanted to know why the kids were so crazy for Harry Potter. I know someone who gave a Harry Potter book to the parents of a five-year-old child with the intention that it might be interesting reading at bedtime. Within a month, the child was eager to read and had begun reading within a few months and was intent on finishing the book alone. It was that mesmerizing. Ah, yes, Mesmer and his hypnotic skills, doesn't that fit in right here.

What is the one thing that we know children need to develop besides a good set of social skills? They need to be really good readers and they need to develop a sense of creativity and how to use their imagination. If there is no imagination, the world is the poorer for the loss of it. Imagination sparks the fire of genius and invention and it is here that all of us benefit from a simple little book put into a child's hands.

The Potter books also ask the age-old question of, "Is the glass half full or half empty?" It really depends on your perspective and some will see one and fail to appreciate the other.

http://www.drfarrell.net

Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Patricia A. Farrell, Ph.D., LLC

Englewood Cliffs, NJ

201-417-1827