Chapter 4 – Kid Discussion – My home is exciting… or maybe I’m confused

I think we can all agree that Harry’s life up until this point had been a sad life. However, with the fall of a door at the beginning of this chapter it appears that interesting things are about to happen for Harry. What do you notice about Harry though? Our family isn’t sure if Harry was as much happy when meeting Hagrid as he was very, very confused.

Everything happened so fast in this chapter that it would confuse me too. Here are just a few of the things to confuse Harry:

• A giant man entered the shack where he was staying
• The strange giant offers him a birthday cake
• Harry had been lied to about his parents’ death
• He gets called a wizard
• He learns about his special new school
• Hagrid uses an owl to deliver a message

There are so many other things that Harry is finding out for the first time. One of our children can relate with Harry’s feelings of confusion. This child was moved into our home from another foster home two months before their second birthday. The caseworker didn’t have time to introduce the child to our family. The child was literally dropped off with strangers before the caseworker had to leave.

I remember seeing the child walking in the house excited to see the new rooms of our house and meet the cats. He was also very nervous. There was no one familiar to hold and comfort the child while meeting these new strangers in a strange home. It’s like the child was given a ticket or a letter to come to a new home with new fun and opportunities but everything was so new that it was scary.

One of my kids told me, “I liked going to new (foster) homes. You get to meet new people and make new friends, but… it’s really sad too. You leave everything you know and all the people you know at the last place.”

I think that is how Harry was feeling. Excited for new possibilities but scared to leave everyone that he knew.

Now It’s Your Turn:

1. What do you think was the most confusing thing to happen to Harry in this chapter?
2. What do you think was exciting for him?
3. If you were Harry, would you like to get a birthday cake or see Hagrid do magic?
4. Your foster/adoptive parents can’t do magic like Hagrid. What can they do that you think is pretty amazing?
5. What makes you feel like you belong in your family?

Kids’ Discussions:
Ch. 01 | Ch. 02 | Ch. 03 | Ch. 04 | Ch. 05 | Ch. 06 | Ch. 07 | Ch. 08 | Ch. 09 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17

Parents’ Discussions:

Ch. 01 | Ch. 02 | Ch. 03 | Ch. 04 | Ch. 05 | Ch. 06 | Ch. 07 | Ch. 08 | Ch. 09 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17