How to Run Your Household Like Hogwarts

 

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True Harry Potter fans believe that the philosophies of the series can be applied to real life situations.  I found myself in a rut, struggling to maintain domestic order and manage the chaos of my children.  While re-reading through the Harry Potter books one night I had a revelation – why couldn’t I just run my household like Hogwarts??  BRILLIANT.  So here is what I envision that would look like:

SORT YOUR CHILDREN

One must first find the unique qualities in each child and then sort them into the house which reflects those qualities.  Personally, I have a sassy, stubborn, cutthroat 2 year old girl who is a Slytherin through and through.  She has the potential to destroy the entire world with her dark powers if I don’t find a way to keep her in check.

My 5 year old boy is somewhere between a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff, depending on the day, but his growing bravery has earned him a spot as a Gryffindor for now.  Having your children in different houses is a wise way to use competition to your advantage, however you can grow their teamwork skills by placing them together.  The more kids you have, the more fierce the competition can be!

AWARD/SUBTRACT POINTS TO HOUSES

Mom manipulation at its finest!  Award points for chores, good attitudes, kindness, and manners.  Subtract points for bad attitudes, unnecessary messes, harassing mommy for something she already said no to 500 times, or failure to comply with the rules.  Those kids in the same house will be encouraging each other to be the best they can be in no time at all.  Make sure to keep the points posted and current so that you children are obsessive over their every decision, and you won’t even have to pull out that creepy elf around Christmas time!  Perk!

SEND QUARRELS TO THE QUIDDITCH FIELD

Things can get pretty heated between siblings.  Sometimes they just need some good old-fashioned ball play.  Setting up a Quidditch field in your backyard is probably the wisest thing you can do with your outdoor space.  After the kids score points, smack balls at each other, and run around (since flying isn’t really an option yet) for a couple hours you should notice a shift in their demeanor.  Plus it gives you, the headmaster, some much needed quiet time before the next inevitable sibling fight.  

Be aware, sometimes the spell thing backfires...
Be aware, sometimes the spell thing backfires…

USE SPELLS

Who wants to yell at their kid in the store “Hey, _____, come here NOW!”  Not me. I’m sick of it.  A simple wand point and “accio” and ta-da!  They are headed right back to ya.  Or you have a chatterbox that won’t quit?  “Langlock!”  Their tongue is now glued to the roof of their mouth.  Your ears can thank me.  On occasion you just need your kids to get their jitters out while simultaneously entertaining you with dancing legs that they can’t control– “tarantallegra!” is just what mama ordered.  Use existing spells or get creative with your own, because you are the headmaster and YOU CAN.

These are just some suggestions to get you started on your journey to incorporating the wisdom of Harry Potter into your household.  It’s going to take patience, and effort, and maybe a little magic, but remember: Hogwarts wasn’t built in a day!

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Anna Rhodes
Anna is an Oklahoma transplant originally from Washington state. While here for college she fell in love with OKC as well as her husband Mike. They have been married for 6 years and have 2 hilarious children- Bauer (4) and Davee (18 months). Anna enjoys hairstyling, working out, indoor soccer, Netflix marathons, and eating terrible things while her kids are asleep. Anna adores several parts of the metro but especially The Village, where she calls home, and the Mid-town area.

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