Why I read Harry Potter.

I know what you're thinking. Harry Potter, really? I didn't even start reading the series until right before the 5th book came out. I was hooked immediately. I've always been an avid reader. I read anything. Newspapers. Cereal boxes while I was having my bedtime snack. Instructions to electrical appliances. (that just screams geek!) The books I usually read were high schooler type books. (duh. i was in jr/.sr high at the time) Nothing as sci-fi fantasy as Harry Potter though.

I remember hearing on the radio when Goblet of Fire (book #4) came out. "People are lined up around the block to grab JK Rowling's latest success!" I thought, "Oh my goodness. Really? A book?? Lame." Little did I know that a few years later, *I would be one of the ones waiting for the books!

Living in a world with Autism, means you need some sort of escape from it all sometimes. For me, that escape is reading Harry Potter. I used to scrapbook. Not that I won't ever again, but it's very expensive and time consuming. It's realaxing, but also something I can't just leave out for fear of Jacob getting into it.

I think one of the reasons I like HP so much is because it could never happen. As much as some people are waiting for their Hogwarts acceptance letter, it's not coming ;-) It's total fantasy. When you read these books, you get wrapped up the world of make believe. Of wands. Wizards.

And Severus Snape.

Sometimes I sit and pretend that Jacob doesn't have Autism. I picture bringing them all to the Mall without the stroller. Or the Leash. Or a backpack full of books and snacks to distract. Letting all three kids run ahead to look at whatever they want, instead of dragging a 70 pound screaming 8 yr old behind me because he "DON'T WANNA GO TO THE AMERICAN GIRL STORE!! I WANNA GO TO BARNES AND NOBLE!!" I don't really blame him, but, you know. People stare. And comment.

People whisper and stare at Harry Potter too.

Jacob doesn't look like a kid with Autism. He's affectionate, funny, and sweet. You can't really tell what's going on unless you watch him closely.

Harry Potter doesn't look like a wizard either.

I don't want to change Jacob. His Autism makes him who he is. If he were 'normal', maybe he wouldn't be such a mama's boy. He would probably be off and running around with friends all the time. He loves mama so much that when I leave for an hour, I come back and he acts like he hasn't seen me for a week. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to do more normal things with him, but I'm not sure I'd want to do that forever. It's fun while it lasts, but then you need to go back to reality. I don't live in one of the four houses at Hogwarts, but if I did, I'm betting mine would be Slytherin.  Living in a special needs world requires a fantasy escape sometimes.

And that's why I read Harry Potter.