Adults in fictionbooks.

A colleague of mine is worried that adults in children fictions books tends to be less like good adults. They are either absent, having severe problems or are just too full of themselves.

That might be true. Plenty of books seems to be like that. Good or bad? A picture of our society? Myself and friends are according to our passports obviously grown up. Do we act it. Not really. So maybe, just maybe the books are true to reality. BUT that is not what I was going to say. The example my colleague took to show this new trend. Was Harry Potter.

SO, statement: The NEW TREND with incompetent adult/parents. Example: Harry Potter.
Hm. Another colleague and objected fiercely. The other colleague because: Harry Potters experience of bad adults is not a new theme. It is as old as folklore and Charles Dickens. I agree.

Second. This is what I want to argue, that Harry Potter is the opposite. Harry Potter has lots of adult role models, lots of individually portrayed adults who are there to guide him and support him. They are truly adults. They are role models even to us grown up readers. There are plenty of bad adults, but that's life.

True, the Dursleys are not very nice, but they are the evil stepfamily. But notice, his aunt has taken her responsibility and brought him up. I'll put Sirius Black along with Dursleys. Because Sirius seems like a modern adult who puts himself and his business first. Not Harrys. He is more like a friend than a father or guardian.

About the others. The Weasleys of course. A traditional sort of family with the mother as a housewife? and the working dad. The fussing mum, who knits and cooks and fiercely defend her children and Harry. (Why so many men, and few female rolemodels though.) And the men.... of course there are so many. There is Dumbledore, a fathers figure, or a mentor? Mrs McConahaug (excuse my spelling). Adult, of course. Rolemodel of course. Remus Lupin. And not an easy one, Snape. Snape who constantly has to struggle not too se Harry's father, but Harry. The perhaps big child Hagrid.

The question is not wether the adults are perfect. But they are there to protect, they are responsible, and they are guides in how to live as wizards in a bad world. Even the evil ones like Malfoys mother sees to her child. Because that is what parents are suppose to do. The true evil one Voldemort is very much like a big child. He wants it his way, he needs the power. In the books where we see his young self, or get to know his childhood story, it is as I remember a story of a neglected and hurt child. A child who grew up to be a selfish and proud teen, and then an evil adult who hasn't learned how to be a good person and live with others. Harry Potter to me is a story about growing up, facing life, and he has got lot's of models to look to.