Everything Under the Moon

I have been raised Catholic all my life. At one point I even wanted to be a nun. I left the Church and tried other religions. I keep being drawn back to Wicca. Now, I have a 2 y.o. son. I moved back home with my mom. She is Catholic so in all have to hide what I do... I have heard you can get your kids taken away for practicing witchcraft. I just don't want to raise my child in this even though I want to be in it. Is that messed up or what? Blessings.

I've never heard that you could have your kids taken away for practicing witchcraft, especially in a country where persecution of people based on their religion is against constitutional right. It would be a lawsuit in waiting. I would be interested to see where you heard that.

If you can't practice around your mom, then don't. It's her house, and therefore her house rules. That being said, depending on your own spiritual bend, you could incorporate some things into "non-religious" lessons for your child. It is also something that could wait until he is older and better able to choose for himself what path he would like to follow.

Thank you. Blessings.

My son has autism so right now I don't involve him. Not because I don't want him in it but because he has trouble understanding. I also want him to make his own decisions about faith and magic.

My son is three and I don't teach him unless he asks. I am not Wiccan, just a witch so there is no "Religion" involved here, but I feel he needs to decide for himself what he wants to believe.
He is sensitive to certain things, so if he wants to I let him "play" and reenact whatever I am doing. His latest game is banishing monster's he used to be afraid of or putting out matches with his mind

Nye Being a non Wicca witch how does that differ from Wicca? Why didn't you want to be Wicca? I am I think more towards witch non Wicca but everything's combines them. Blessings.

Ravenstar wrote:Nye Being a non Wicca witch how does that differ from Wicca? Why didn't you want to be Wicca? I am I think more towards witch non Wicca but everything's combines them. Blessings.

In Germany Wicca isn't as big and wasn't when I started especially (90's). I just don't feel like I want to do anything specific, like a Religion. I want to practice and believe whatever makes sense and is interesting. I don't feel I need the whole god and goddess concept or the three fold law etc.
Traditional Witchcraft is interesting to me but there is some New Age stuff I just don't buy into I want something that works for my purposes.

Hope that makes sense!

I am not a parent but if I ever have children, I don't think I will teach "organized" religion. I intend to pass on values based on my pagan beliefs, teaching them to love nature and to connect with it without the name or label of a certain religion.

This, of course, depends a lot on your type of path and practices but I believe you'll find a middle ground

Blessings!

I so very much wish i could teach my son about Paganism but since he's autistic (which is about 1 in 70 kids now) he's not of the mental capacity to really understand the idea of something he can't really see. He's 8 but mentally he's about 3 or 4. So, if ever he comes around to questioning 'why', i'd love to teach him. But it's his choice in the end.

While I know the original poster hasn't been here in awhile; I think this is a really good topic and am glad it was bumped up again.

I don't have children of my own but this is something I've thought a little bit about because I always wondered what I would do. I think I might raise them with it as long as their father agreed to it, and allow them the chance to explore it but only start when they're old enough to understand. I'd stress the importance of making your own decisions and rather than include them with my actual craft I'd probably keep it a little more general so they can have the freedom to explore what they choose. I want them to have the opportunity to make their own choices, after all.

There are a lot of good values within pagan practices that I would be trying to teach my children anyways so I feel like that is the route I might want to take some day. It might change, though, when I do have a child of my own.

My fiance and I often talk about having kids. He wants them now, I want to have a savings account with more than thirty dollars in it, lol.
While he is very comfortable with my practices and even encourages me to share it with him, we both agree that we do not want to raise our children as strictly pagan. For one, he is fairly agnostic. For another, we are both very aware that this path isn't for everyone. We want to raise our children with open minds and hearts so that they will respect nature and animals. We would love to teach them abut the wheel of the year and engage them in some of the activities associated with them... But that will probably be the extent of it. If they are older and they wish to go to church with their friends, I will let them. If they ask me what I believe, I will tell them. If they ask me to teach them, I will. But I don't want them to only be taught one way as if it is the only way. That is their choice to make.. and my fiance backs me on it.

But, I don't have kids and like Sakura said, it may very well change for me when I do. But as of now, Cody and I feel like this is what would be best for us. *shrugs*

Don't worry. They can't take your babies due to your religious beliefs.

My kids are grown up now and out on their own.I never pushed any kind of religion on them as I felt they had the right to choose their own way later.I have been open with them and they know my beliefs.

Does anyone here raise their children as part of a pagan religion?

Does anyone here have the thought that if you don't impart your beliefs and values to your own children, that someone else might and be successful? Boogymen don't exist under the bed. They exist in the form of authoritarian teachers and day care givers, and even friends and family members, who whisper the truth of Jesus to young impressionable minds.

Parents, have you had to contend with this? How is raising your child with an open mind working out when they find themselves in this kind of situation?

As a person who professionally cares for young people in the education field, and will be a teacher at the end of the year I think that you may be over generalizing.

Not every caregiver or teacher is looking to control minds.

I think when parents raise children to be critical thinkers, and encourage open discourse in the home, then young people will grow up with the ability to make good choices for themselves-whatever they may be.

Children aren't like buckets that you need to hurry up and fill before somebody else comes along. Everybody eventually makes their own choices. The sooner young people are encouraged to think about their own thinking-the better. Youth amaze me constantly with their wisdom and tolerance.