Luna Lovegood is a character in the
Harry Potter series who marches to the beat of her own drum and comes off a bit daft at times. I grew to like her through the books, but
Evanna Lynch's performance (
and story) made me love her through the movies.
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| I Luna |
Lately, my 2-year-old has become obsessed with Luna. I don't know where it started (although I suspect her big sisters and brother listening to Harry and the Potters' "
Luna Lovegood Is OK" on repeat had a wee bit to do with it). Every chance she gets, she puts on her sunglasses, grabs any wand-like instrument in her vicinity (be it
knitting needle, paint brush, or insanely noisy plastic wand [Thanks a lot, mom]), casts spells and demands that either, she IS Luna or that she wants to meet her.
Now, I agree that Luna's cool and all, but I admit that the toddler's obsession has left me a bit baffled. Most kids her age love Elmo, Winnie the Pooh, Caillou (G-d save us all from his unending whininess), Thomas the Tank Engine or the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba. Why is my youngest so enamored with Luna Lovegood? What on earth should I make of it all?
Recently, there's been a resurgence in sharing
this post from
Pigtail Pals and suddenly, a light bulb appeared over my head (or perhaps the 9-year-olds yelled, "
Lumos" and aimed their wands in my general direction [
The younger of my 9-year-olds {who was Luna for Purim} would like me to pause and point out that for the sake of accuracy, neither of my twins can actually have a "real" wand because they're 2 years shy of the required age]).
Luna wakes up full of awesome every day. That article celebrates the fact that 5-year-old Amelia loves herself--celebrates herself just like many other young children do (my toddler included) without sacrificing her strength, her beauty, or her brilliance to anyone else. The vast majority of girls don't make it through adolescence with that intact. There are few (if any) depictions of older characters who feel that way; who simply ARE without restraints.
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| Hebrew school bound |
In this family, we try to raise our children to be themselves and not let
others force them into society's preconceived notions. This often leaves them the odd ones out when they follow their hearts and go against the norm. My oldest headed to Hebrew school in a getup designed, not by fashion magazined geared towards tweens, but by her own likes and desires. My big two were the only girls in their karate class. My son's favorite color was pink for the longest time. Whereas some of their female friends absolutely refuse to get dirty because it's not "Pretty," my kids run out in the yard to roll around in the mud.
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| Muddy & loving it |
My 2-year-old insists on wearing her clothes backwards. Yes, it's intentional. Yes, it's odd. My 2-year-old has her own obsessions which are very different from other kids her age. My 2-year-old is awesome (as are her siblings).
Luna Lovegood is looney. Luna Lovegood is out there. Luna Lovegood is certainly not a red fuzzy monster singing repetitive obnoxious songs. Luna Lovegood would never be mistaken for a Disney Princess. Luna Lovegood is true to herself. Luna Lovegood is awesome.
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| Darth Daughter |
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| Some people think it's stupid, but they like Quidditch. |
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| Boys like sparkly face paint too. |
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| Girls kick butt, even if they're the only girls in class. |
