Long before I became a mom, the first Harry Potter book was released. There was a lot of talk among Christians about whether or not it was okay. Those discussions continue in churches, small groups and social media. What I’m sharing today isn’t to convince you one way or another. 1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.”

This is about a mom who was swayed by peer pressure. She went against her convictions and those of her husband, then wished she hadn’t.

When Adam first discovered Harry Potter, my husband and I told him they were off-limits because we weren’t comfortable with their content. He was okay with that. Then he became friends with kids who dressed like Harry, played the games, watched the movies, had all the souvenirs.  They lived out “What would Harry do?” And Adam’s requests grew insistent.

He just wanted to fit in

We’d just pulled him out of school and began home schooling. He was trying to fit in with new friends. I wanted to be accepted, too. So I started talking to friends about it and Googling things like “Using Harry Potter to teach kids about Jesus.” My husband remained opposed.

When respected friends said their kids were reading Harry Potter, I pushed my husband more. I said I didn’t want Adam to feel left out and to “sneak” things behind our backs because we said they were off-limits and his friends said they were okay.

“What if I read the books first?” I asked. My husband finally conceded. I read the first book, saw some allegories to Jesus and decided it was okay.

When things went too far

By the time he’d finished book three, Adam was hooked. By book five, he checked out a Harry Potter spell book from the library. I took it away and hoped that was the end of it.

Angry at his younger sister one morning, he told her he was casting her to a place of banishment. He was serious and said he knew the spell. She was scared to tears. My husband and I overheard and called Adam to the table.

Adam cried as we talked. He said after reading each book, he felt weird. He was consumed with thoughts of spells, and Googled how to cast them. We pulled the plug on Potter and we prayed for God’s healing.

I cried, too. I’d let my own desire to fit in override my convictions. I pressured my husband against his will. I opened the door to something that hurt my son – and my daughter – all for the sake of fitting in.

It’s not Harry Potter’s fault

This story could be about any thing, not just a kids’ fantasy series. Giving into peer pressure by going against your individual convictions is bad. It opens the door to harm and, in some cases, sin. It’s hard to stand strong against the crowd, but I wish I had.

Now school is starting again. And with that, the relentless peer pressure is coming. But I know we can resist temptations and fight pressures when we and our kids are armed with the faith of Christ. 

Have you ever sold out just to fit in? How can we protect ourselves from peer pressure?

Kristy Rose is a Gen X homeschooling mom who sells Avon to support her writing habit. In 2006, God transplanted her to North Dakota. Moving to the state her great-grandparents homesteaded in 1903 and the ensuing adventures on the prairie have deepened her faith and given her a heart-felt understanding of God's amazing mercy and grace. You can get her take on pretty much everything at throughrosecoloredglasses.weebly.com. Read more JOY Blog posts by Kristy.