In defense of Molly

[Schlobin at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 136376


Now on to mothers...I wish to start with a spirited defense of Molly  
Weasley, mother to Bill, Charley, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny. I beg to  
differ with the many heated criticisms of her parenting on this forum. I believe  
that the Weasley family is JKR's ideal of a happy family. I personally don't  
agree with such rigid differentiation of roles, but I do know that it can work  
well for some couples.
 
In the great tradition of mothers, Molly is fiercely protective of both her  
biological children -- and her chosen child of the heart -- Harry. She 
embodies  the virtue of nurturance -- as indicated by her cooking, feeding everyone 
in  sight, and her careful remembrance of everyone on holidays. No, she is not  
perfect. No mother is perfect, and certainly no mother of six can do 
everything,  particularly when her husband is working very hard trying to support the 
family.  She does forget that Ron doesn't like maroon or corn beef (gasp!!!). 
 
When Harry sees the Burrow (his second favorite building in the world), he  
feels the warmth, love and security that Molly and Arthur have created for 
their  children. The Weasleys are the exact opposite of the Dursleys. Molly is 
strict  with her children -- they love her and she loves them. Contrast Dudley, 
whose  every wish is catered to....he's a bully who shows no interest in Vernon 
or  Petunia except to get what he wants from them.
 
Perhaps some people on the list are not old enough to realize that even  when 
their mother annoyed them, she often gave good advice. My mother told me  not 
to walk alone with boys on the beach -- was she being over protective? I  
thought so at the time. These days mothers might remind their daughters not to  
drink something handed to them by someone at a party (a la Mad Eye Moody). I  
rejected my mother's advice, and I'm sure some daughters reject their mothers'  
advice...yet in all of this advice, there is a grain of truth. It is a 
dangerous  world, and mothers worry about their children. It' a mother's prerogative.
 
Now is Molly OVER-Protective? Well, how would you react if both your  
brothers had been killed by Lord Voldemort, and your husband had been attacked  and 
almost killed by LV's snake Nagini? She is petrified. Her family clock says  
that her entire family are in mortal peril.... All who can be are in the Order  
of the Phoenix, Fred and George are clamoring to join, and Ron has scarcely  
evaded danger at Hogwarts. Ginny has been possessed by Lord Voldemort. Her son  
who she thought was doing the best turns out to be overly ambitious and has  
become alienated from her family. I think she has very good reasons to try to  
protect her children.
 
And you know, raising Fred and George (as much as I like them) must have  
been quite a challenge. I can certainly understand an occasional loss of temper  
or patience...
 
Molly also embodies unconditional love. She loves her sons even as she  roars 
at them or sends them Howlers. She wants them to be successful and  
respectable...wants Bill to cut his hair, wants Fred and George to buckle down,  study 
and join the Ministry for Magic..... She loves Percy and tries to  reconcile 
even though Percy is a prat (imho). At first, she doesn't like Fleur,  but 
changes her mind when it becomes clear how devoted Fleur is to Bill. Her  children 
are, on the whole, doing very well. Charley is happy working with  dragons, 
Bill is delighted by being a curse breaker at Gringotts and will be  married, 
Fred and George (I think their virtues and their wonderful resistance  efforts 
under Umbrage more than make up for their faults) are successful  business 
owners,
Ron is growing out of his insecurity as the littlest brother to become a  
prefect, Quidditch keeper, boyfriend to Lavendar, and then Hermione, and is  
someone DD trusts to keep his and Harry's secrets. Ron is a loyal friend who  
rejects Percy's effort to enlist him in Harry's betrayal. Ginny is popular,  
smart, and competent. I hope Percy will come around but not even the best  parents 
can be 100% successful in raising great kids.
 
I wonder how  much of the criticism of Molly stems from the popular pastime 
of blaming the  mother for everything..and holding her totally responsible 
(while holding dads  to a much lower standard).....
 
 


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