This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

harrypotteritis

Withdrawal symptoms.

We are grieving. Like many other fans, we no longer have anything to look forward to. Will there ever be another movie that enthralls 3 different kids, of different ages and the mom of a family all at the same time?

We have the DVD’s, the audio books and the books. We are still re-reading the first book and still talking about the characters as if they are our next door neighbors. We regularly shoot spells at one another – I especially do when there are too many children clambering around me –“Expeliarmus” is a good one for child repelling.

I find the “Accio” spell quite good for grabbing the children toward me so I can remind them of their chores.  “Reparo” is one that I wish actually worked, especially as I have now delegated all the dishwasher emptying to younger folk who sometimes break dishes.

Find out what's happening in Bethelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Occulus Reparo” would be great for repairing the $100 glasses that we all need for distance vision.

Right about now, we all need a bit of “Expecto Patronum”. I will never know if another movie/book/spectacle will be coming out soon that will so engross us all. So therefore, we have slumped into a sort of mini-Harry Potter last movie release – depression, hence the harrypotteritis. “Expecto patronum” is the sort of spell that issues forth a protection of sad spirits – a sort of vapor that takes the form of an animal.  If you wish to find out which type of animal your Patronus might be, there are many online questionnaires available to discover your happy spirit.

Find out what's happening in Bethelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Harry Potter has brought us together in an odd way. We are creative together. We make up stories about spells together. We pretend we are eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans when we are in fact just having plain old Jelly Beans at Easter.

I did think we should start reading all the books again in another language. Maybe that would make it interesting all over again, but that would require a lot of work.
For now, we are content to listen to the audio books over breakfast when we are all a little too tired to speak. For now, we pass the time listening to those same audio books in the car, or at the beach. I’m not sure how long this pastime will last but I hope it does.

In the meantime, we did discover the Harry Potter Fan Fiction website which holds many other stories of characters from the book, some endorsed by J.K. Rowling herself.  That might keep us going for a short while.

We do look forward to another saga although I’m not sure that anything can match what we have had in the glorious years so far – a thrilling tale that has brought us to another fantasy world where all of us participated.  Whether you are a fan of Rowling’s saga or not, any author that gets my children jumping out of bed at 11:30 at night to line up and purchase a new book, has my respect. Our children are inundated with a plethora of electronic devices that will entertain while the child loses the ability to imagine. Books give them a natural way to use their own creative exploration of the mind.

I am sad this era of our lives is over. But I no longer have to sell the idea of reading as an adventure to my kids. They read everything and anything for hours a day. At least that is one of the everlasting side effects of living through harrypotteritis in our lives – one that didn’t need a spell.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?