All around the world, influenced by brilliant stories from gifted authors, children who thought they were different in a bad way are discovering that they are, in fact, different in a magnificent way.
- Harry Potter thinks there is something wrong with him because his family forces him to live in the cupboard under the stairs. Plus, he “makes things happen” and can talk to snakes.
- Percy Jackson has profound ADHD and dyslexia. He’s so “bad” that he has never been able to attend the same school two years in a row.
- Elissa is being raised by an old woman as a servant in a castle and knows only that her mother is dead. Yet, she is the daughter of a king and deeply connected to the Earth by her magical powers.
- Aang is the last of his kind. He is the only person left on the planet with the ability to bend air.
At the heart of every myth and legend lies a grain of truth.
Grain: The smallest possible amount of anything, a small, hard seed – the essence, crux, heart, significance, or soul of the matter.
How do the stories of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Elissa and Aang reflect what is going on with our real, uniquely magnificent children?
It is neither surprising nor coincidence that there so many hugely popular books and movies about magical children have been produced in the past two decades. This is the same time span during which magical children began appearing on Earth in large numbers.
Many of today’s children are called indigo, crysal or rainbow, autistic, ADHD, atypical or neurodivergent. They probably arrived via quite-ordinary birth. But those who are paying attention see clearly that there is something different about our children. Some want to call the differentness disorder or disability. I call it magic.
Learning from the Magical Heroes
Each of the characters mentioned above must find his or her own way for the old ways no longer work. The premises have changed. Their perceptions of themselves have been turned upside down.
Harry must shift his perspective from the Muggle to the Magical World. Percy has to embrace his god-nature. Elissa, a humble girl who knew her own mind even if she did not always choose to speak it, embraces her mission and taps into powers she had not realized she possessed. Aang, at only 11 years old, must restore balance in the world.
As our heroes become attuned to their powers, they realize that with great power comes great responsibility. This can be a heavy burden for a child or teenager to carry. Our heroes waver, err, and complain, but they stay true to their calling.
In each of the books of the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson Series, the Phoenix Rising Trilogy (Elissa’s story) and the Avatar: The Last Airbender Saga (Aang’s story), it is not only the hero who is magical. Friends and enemies have magical powers too. Our heroes do not possess unique gifts. They possess gifts that are available to many.
As we notice our children’s gifts and talents, it is useful to consider:
- What are my gifts and talents?
- What can I do differently than I have always done it until now?
- Am I working from an obscured premise?
Parenting the Heroes
In many fictional accounts, the heroes’ parents are conveniently missing. Harry’s parents are dead. Percy’s mother, fully human, is not allowed at Camp Halfblood and his father, a god, does not have time for his half-human children. Elissa’s mother is dead and her father is missing. Aang’s parents have been dead for almost a century.
For those of us parenting magical children, there is no hint in these books of what the children might need from us. We are left with a bit of insight into the children, but with no new information on what is required of us.
“You must get used to the fact that there are many things in magic which are not and never will be explained. God decided to do certain things in a certain way and why He did this is a secret known only to Him.” (Paulo Coelho in Brida.)
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It
“May your path be one of peace in times of peace, and of combat in times of combat. Never confuse one with the other.” (Paulo Coelho in Brida.)
Again and again we are presented the lesson that there is nothing to do but carry on, taking one step and one second at a time, learning what we can when we can, being willing to walk in the dark. Without a roadmap or a manual, we learn to listen and watch our children and our hearts. We figure out a way to make it through each day.
I love listening to podcasts. Here’s a good one about being your true self.
In Autistic Hermione Thoughts, autistic blogger Alyssa of Yes, That Too, writes about reading Hermione as an autistic person.
But then something happens. The future athlete can’t learn to ride a bike or pay attention to directions. He certainly can’t throw or catch the ball. The upcoming Miss Charming throws spectacular tantrums and refuses to listen to music.
This post is brought to you from 30,000 feet in the air, from Phoenix to Detroit. As I look at my fellow passengers, I see people napping, reading, chatting, working. In three hours, we will have traversed most of the country. Yet no one seems astounded by the magic that we are experiencing, sitting in cushioned seats flying through the air. Just as few seem to perceive the magic that is present in today’s children.
Swan Mothers 