Three podcasting dads discussion when and how to introduce their children to Narnia…
S8E31: “Narnia Month: Narnia Dads”, After Hours with Brian Corbin and Daniel Payne (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-Week
My dear Lucy,
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be
your affectionate Godfather,
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Dedication
Biographical Information
Brian Corbin – better known as “Glumpuddle” – is the head of NarniaWeb.com and the host of Talking Beasts: The Narnia Podcast.
Daniel Payne is a classical educator whose love of Narnia was reignited while reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to a Lower School class at the beginning of his career. Daniel has written classical curriculum for multiple books in the Narniad; he has also taught on Lewis in various professional and parochial settings. Daniel hosts and produces The Lamp-post Listener, a podcast discussing imaginative works of children’s literature — they will begin reading through “The Hobbit” this fall.
Chit-Chat
- Brian has been keeping a close eye on Narnia movie news on his website, including the new and controversial casting choices and filming methods.
- Meanwhile, last season Daniel finished the Narniad, and has been turning his focus to the works of George MacDonald and J. R. R. Tolkien. He is currently journeying through “The Hobbit” in preparation for the next season.
Toast
- Brian had a cup of decaf chai tea.
- Daniel was drinking Cosmic Little Thing Hazy IPA by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
- David had First Ride from Athletic Brewing Company in a Pints with Jack mug.
Discussion
01. “Our family trees”
Q: Before we talk about how we introduce our children to Lewis, could you each give a brief sketch of your families?
- Everyone in the bunch has a young family. Brian has two boys, one who is five years old, and the other ten months. Daniel also has two children. His eldest is almost five, and his youngest is almost two. David’s son, Alexander, will be four years old in the fall, Lucy is nearly two, and he has a little boy on the way.
02. “First exposure?”
Q: When do you think Narnia should be introduced to children?
- Each of the podcasters described introducing the books to their children from a very young age. Daniel read the first book to both of his children before they turned one! He chooses to revisit the books as they grow, taking things slowly so they can savour them together.
- Daniel’s own outlook is long-term: what are the stories he wants his family to know? He and his wife have what they call the “Payne family cannon”, which are all of the various media that they make frequent references to, and that they will teach their children.
- Brian was struggling with two identities: “parent” and “nerd”. As a parent, he wants to teach his children at a young age so they can be immersed in it. But as a nerd, he wants to wait for them to grow, so that the climaxes of the books have a bigger impact. Realising he was missing out by waiting for the “right moment”, a few months ago, he began reading LWW with his son. His son loved it; although, the White Witch might have been a little much at the time.
- David shared the same concerns as Brian and Daniel. Ultimately, he has taken the middle road and started reading LWW to Alexander over Holy Week this last year. He timed it perfectly, so Aslan’s death and resurrection was on Easter Sunday. His son loved the Pauline Baynes illustrations. If you look carefully in the battle scene, you can see a dragon fighting a squirrel, which Alexander found very amusing.
- There are some parts of the series that young readers might find too scary. After the BBC version aired, one viewer called in to an interview with the cast, complaining how the violence in the series scared their kids.
- At the end of the day, it depends on the child and your gut intuition as a parent, because there is no wrong answer.
03. “How much do they absorb?”
Q: What are your children retaining from these first books?
- Daniel said that his son had the appropriate emotional reactions to each of the scenes, and was able to understand the basic flow of the book very well.
- We are often surprised by what kids are able to pick up on. They are always observing! What they are picking up on the most though is their parent’s reactions. If you love something, chances are that your young children will as well, in imitation of you.
- Daniel suggested that although kids can pick up on things well, it is okay if they do not have the full emotional impact right away. Those things can some later on with repetition. He shared the example of the story of David and Goliath, and how, since we know the story, we assume that David automatically wins. However, as we think about it more, we come to realise that he should have lost, had God not been on his side.
Q: How do you balance curiosity and pushing on with the story, when children ask questions so often that it brings the story to a halt?
- Narnia was written in 1940s Britain, so it’s natural that some things are a little unfamiliar. Daniel suggested not squashing that curiosity, while encouraging children to glean context from the story’s atmosphere. For example, when his American child asks what the British expression “by jove!” means, he responds with “that’s a great question, what do you think it means? Let’s see if we can find out.”
- Reading “Planet Narnia” opened David’s eyes to a new level of understanding. In other words, adults have things they have yet to learn, and sometimes just developing a love of the thing before plumbing its depths is best.
04. “What reading order?!”
Q: What book order should parents read the Chronicles to their children? (There is only one right answer)
- Obviously publication order is the only way. As the books go on, the subject matter grows a little darker. It seems to be a book series that you are meant to grow with.
- For example, it appears that the new Narnia movies will begin with “The Magician’s Nephew”. Say that parents start with this book. The story begins with a dying mother, and moves on to a creepy uncle, followed by a terrifying witch! This might be a bit much for young minds to take in.
05. “Adaptations?”
Q: What about the adaptations? Do you lead with those? What about supplementing with them? And which ones?
- Daniel has exposed his children to a few things, such as the BBC version of “Prince Caspian”, but only after reading the books. After watching the Rancor from Star Wars eat the guard, he feels that his son is at a stage where he can handle a little more, and wants to introduce him to more Narnia content around Christmastime.
- Although the original is always best, there is no harm in showing other versions, even if Narnia super-fans might have nit-picky gripes with director choices. Kid’s exposures to Lewis do not have to be perfect. Long story short, while we cannot precisely dictate how they are exposed to the things we love, we can affect their perception by displaying our love for it. The group discussed their own “imperfect” introductions to Lewis’ fantasy world.
06. “Having a different experience”
- Sometimes the stories that we think might be more “age appropriate” for kids are formative in the negative way. Star Wars and Narnia will always be classics, beloved by their fans for their good storytelling and their life lessons. Meanwhile, the kids films produced today will not be remembered in the future, and are either brain rot or downright harmful by instilling the wrong values.
07. “Star Wars”
- Star Wars might be more sacred than Narnia on this channel, as David, Daniel, and Brian each laid out their very well-coordinated plan to introduce their children to the fictional universe.
- They talked about the benefits and drawbacks of movies on active imaginations, and how they affect how we read and understand books. Some movies might just be avoided overall to completely spoil the thing…apparently Daniel and Brian don’t love the “green mist” in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for some reason.
08. “Dad-ing and Podcasting”
Q: How do you “dad” and podcast?
- Most recording is scheduled for after bedtime for Brian and Daniel. David likes to live dangerously and record in the morning with his co-hosts. Listen for the occasional small voice in the background that slips through the editing process, asking for cereal.
- Will they be able to take their children to the opening of the new Greta Gerwig movie when it releases? Lots to consider, is it worth the high risk? Would it be the first time they see their dads cry?
Wrap Up
More Information
- You can find Brian Corbin over at the Talking Beasts podcast and NarniaWeb.com, where you can stay up to date on all the latest Narnia movie and pop-culture breaking news and speculation. They are also currently going through “The Last Battle” chapter by chapter.
- The Lamp-Post Listener takes a break during the summer, but they have just wrapped up “The Princess and the Goblin” and Tolkien’s “Smith of Wootton Major”, and are moving on to “The Hobbit” come autumn. They will certainly discuss the movies, in all of their problematic glory.
