In the beginning, many years ago, he and I sat side by side on the grey couch that once belonged to my brother-in-law, Rex. I would read. He would listen. Sometimes, during the tense sections of the story, he would wind my long hair around his index finger and play with it. Each day he would excitedly reach for the book in preparation of our next session of reading together.
As he and Harry aged, we would listen to the books during road trips to Grand Junction to see the Foster Family, or to Moab, Ethan's favorite place. Jim Dale's voice became like that of a welcomed friend. Listening to him read was wonderful. (Even now when I listen to other audio books he has recorded, such as "A Christmas Carol" or his part as a narrator for "Pushing Daisies", I can only really hear the characters from the Harry Potter books.)
The movies, first on VHS and later on DVD, were often given as gifts. We are considering re-watching all of the movies in order during the winter break.
As Harry grew, matured and became a young man, so did my son. They have both moved into the times of their lives where they do not need the support that they once required. My role has changed to one of sideline support. So even though I enjoyed "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Part 2", I found myself weeping through parts of it. My son patted my arm and tried to hush me, telling me, "It's only a movie, Mom." Little did he know that my tears were more about the end of that element of our life than what was actually happening on the screen. I'm proud of the young man he is shaping into. His life is becoming ever more independent, as it should. Thus, our days of reading or listening to the books together may have come to a close. It is my hope that we will find other books to enjoy together. Some of my friends who have young sons have been successful in carrying that tradition over into adulthood. For now our tastes in literature are very different and our paths take us in different directions. But I trust that they will find a way to come together and enjoy each other's company while sharing a book again.
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