You took the words right out of my mouth. I assert that my sons love of reading is a direct result of Harry Potter.
When the books first started coming out he brought one home from school. We soon discovered that they were way above his reading ability, at that time. He had recently decided that he was "too old" to crawl into bed with Mom to be read too. That broke my heart, it was my favorite time of the day.
When he brought the book home, he asked me to read it too him. I did. By the time the second book came out, he couldn't wait to read it. This time, he would read a page or two to me, then I would take over, and we would alternate. By the third book, he was reading them too me!, and by the fourth, and all subsequent books we had to buy two books because we both wanted to read them right away. We would then discuss them, in detail and I would donate the second copy to the library.
Those are some of my most precious memories of me and my son. Talk of paranoid people will never take that away from me.
P.S. He called me this weekend (he is now away at college) to tell me that he took his new girlfriend to the movie, but that if I wanted to we could go together when he comes home this weekend for Thanksgiving!
>>but that if I wanted to we could go together when he comes home this weekend for Thanksgiving! <<
Bring your tissues.
My daughter and I were openly sobbing at the end.
My son and I did almost the same thing you did. My son is younger than yours. I read the first 3 books to him. We read the last 3-4 alterating pages and chapters.
I wonder how many millions of parents/sons/daughters have done the same throughout the world ?
I will always look back at those bedtime reading of chapters as one of my fondest memories of bonding with my son.
JK Rowling should be given a nobel prize for single handedly increasing the literacy of the world.