One of my favorite things in the Harry Potter series is the cloak of invisibility. There are so many times a magical cloak that makes you invisible could come in handy in life! At least this is the case in my life. For instance, one time I had to do a twenty minute presentation in college on a very boring topic. When we were to make these presentations, our professor wanted us to dress up and make them as professional as possible. I wore a two piece shell dress and matching jacket for my presentation. About halfway through, my nerves were running high, and I was feeling hot and sweaty, so I took off my jacket, and continued, but I made the mistake of turning around to the sound of chuckles coming from a room full of people. You see, I had accidentally tucked the bottom of my dress in my pantyhose, and inadvertently “mooned” everybody! I was so embarrassed, and I wish at that moment I had a cloak of invisibility so I could run out of the room and wallow in my humiliation without anybody to bother me.
“I was so embarrassed, and I wish at that moment I had a cloak of invisibility so I could run out of the room and wallow in my humiliation without anybody to bother me.”
A cloak of invisibility can also come in handy in other times of hardships. It would be a great way to escape a situation in which you feel uncomfortable because bad things are happening around you. I remember wanting to hide and shrink away when people around me were quarreling. I was often used as a pawn between arguing parents and spent a lot of time in the middle of their spats. I felt unsafe and unsure of myself. Unfortunately, my situation is not a unique one, and many kids are put in the middle of unpleasant, adult situations where they don’t belong. This would make anybody want to be invisible, and to feel the security of a cloak around them (for a while).
But there are other times when being invisible is a bad thing. Many times, children can be made to feel invisible when they really need to be seen. Their opinions need to be heard, and their feelings need to be considered. In a lot of foster/adoption situations, children may feel like they are invisible to their parents, social workers, teachers, and every other adult they come in contact with. They may feel like everything is out of their control, and like they have no say in what is happening in their lives. It is very important to make sure everyone takes the time to stop and hear the child and let him/her be a part of the discussion, don’t let them be invisible!
“In a lot of foster/adoption situations, children may feel like they are invisible to their parents, social workers, teachers, and every other adult they come in contact with.”
Now, I wasn’t going to leave you with all bad, doom and gloom reasons for loving the cloak of invisibility! I also think of all of the hijinks I could pull if I were invisible. Harry and his crew used it to be sneaky and cause mischief. I would like to think I would enjoy sneaking around and playing (fun) tricks on my friends and family. It would be so fun to make my kids think their toy animals were walking around on their own, or to move my husband’s coffee cup to the other end of the table after every time he took a sip! Yes. I do believe that cloak sure could come in handy!
Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever felt embarrassed, and needed to find a quick way to get out of the situation
- What is a good way to handle times when we might do something silly (instead of disappearing)?
- What can you do in times when you feel like you are afraid of what is going on around you? Who can you talk to? What makes you feel safe?
- Do you ever feel like you are invisible when you want to be heard? What are some things the people around you can do to make sure you feel like you are being heard and your feelings are being considered? For instance, can you have a standing “date” with a trusted adult every once in a while so you can go over the tough stuff and be heard?
- What silly tricks would you play on your family and friends if you could be invisible? Be Nice!!
