Family Houses

[macloudt at yahoo.co.uk]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Tina Nelson <tina21209 at y...> wrote:
> Does anyone else have real problems with the muggles
> in their lives trying to force them to be muggle as
> well?
> 
> Readalie

Yep, sounds familiar!  My Dad is a very staunch Roman Catholic, and 
while he is a good man who means to do well he is extremely closed-
minded.  My late Mom was much more relaxed, but in order to keep the 
peace she just went along with most of what my Dad said or did, 
though sometimes she would snap and voice her own opinions, such as 
when Dad went on about "the gays" being "cured" (his words, honest) 
by a local priest.  As I said he means well but is so fundamentalist 
that there is no room for, well, *growth* basically.    On the other 
hand I slogged through 4 years at the deliciously liberal York 
University in Toronto and came out with a degree in sociology and 
cultural anthropology, subjects in which being as non-judgemental as 
possible is a necessity.  So it goes without saying that we don't see 
eye to eye on many things.  Dad lives in the Toronto area and I'm in 
England, and to be honest it's better that way; we *both* feel this 
way, I'm sure, though we don't voice it.  We talk on the phone once a 
week, but of course the down side is that my kids only get to see Opa 
(Grandpa in Dutch) a few weeks per year.  Anyway my family is 
scattered all over the place in various countries, so moving away is 
seen as normal, and not as an escape.  If nothing else, I have 
learned that you can love and respect a person even if your values 
and mores are polar opposites.

Thank you for the therapy session, Doctor...you want HOW MUCH!?

Mary Ann
(reluctantly handing over 15 galleons and 3 sickles)