parenting choices

This weekend Star 102.1 is giving away tickets to a midnight screening of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." During my weekend deejay shift yesterday, I had a contest winner who told me she planned to take her children to the movie. I asked the ages of the kids and she said they were five and seven. I reminded her that A) the screening is at midnight and B) the movie is rated PG-13. Neither fact seemed to bother her. She said that her kids had enjoyed the previous Harry Potter movies. Apparently she had not read or heard that "Goblet of Fire" is the scariest Potter movie so far. It's definitely not a movie for kids that young. She seemed to appreciate it when I told her a little bit about the violence in the story. I hope she leaves the kids home rather than take them to a screening that will end at 2:37 a.m.

I finally got around to reading all six Harry Potter books this past summer. As a parent of kids who love the books, I probably should have read them sooner. They're all very good but "Goblet of Fire" is probably the best of them. The early buzz makes it sound like the new movie will be the best one so far too.

The movie's website has some cool features and games. There's even a page where you can upload a photo and outfit yourself in dress robes for the Yule Ball. Speaking of websites, two Harry Potter fan sites are worth a visit: MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron.

MuggleNet is where I read about the upcoming Harry Potter special on A&E Television. I wonder if the contest winner from yesterday will let her young kids watch the special. It airs at 10 p.m. on Thursday.