Unconcerned parents

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 128132


Donna asked:
>>> I'm a parent and I've wondered about Hermione's parents letting
her go to the WW with all the ugly stuff going on. I'm wondering
if Hermione is keeping things from her parents. <snip>  If they are 
aware of the goings on, they sure don't seem too concerned about the 
possibility of losing their only child.  As a parent, I'm pretty 
dumbfounded.<<<

Lea replied:
>>I'm pretty sure Hermione's parents are completely in the dark about 
all the danger Hermione has been in.  The fight at the DoM was during 
school, as has been all the other incidents.<<


Susanne added:
> I've always wondered if the school doesn't have to inform
> the parents if their child gets hurt.
> It seems like something they'd have to do, but looking at
> canon, they don't appear to.
> After all, just looking at Hermione, there have been several
> instances that landed her in the infirmary ( twice in CoS,
> and then DoM in OotP), and we never hear about her parents
> coming to check on her.


SSSusan:
I wonder how much of this is the oft-cited British boarding school 
literature tradition at work?  We've had many discussions here at 
HPfGU about how, in that tradition, as shocking as it may be to many 
21st centurians -- especially us Americans <g> -- that parents expect 
their 11-year-olds to be pretty much "formed" and mature and capable 
of taking care of themselves.

There is still room for individual differences with students, though, 
as we know that Seamus' mother had real reservations about allowing 
Seamus to come back to Hogwarts after Cedric's death and the things 
she'd read about Harry.  That could be that it's easier for her to be 
informed of the goings on because she *is* in the WW and has access 
to The Daily Prophet, the Quibbler, Witch Weekly, etc.  It appears 
that Hermione didn't set the Grangers up with subscriptions to 
those.  

So unless DD is inclined to report the goings on, the dangers, and 
the escapades the Trio have been involved in, or unless Hermione 
herself is so inclined, it's easy to imagine that the Grangers really 
are in the dark.

So I guess for me it's a combination of the WW being a pretty rough 
place where people are expected to be resilient, the lack of 
information coming to the Grangers by choice and/or by virtue of 
their being Muggles, and perhaps the "buck up – you're a young adult 
now" attitude of the British boarding school.

Just my two knuts.  YMMV.

Siriusly Snapey Susan