My son has questions...

[Trevi]

My son is 12 and has been asking questions alot lately. He has a friend at school who has been filling his head with things like voodoo and magic wands that change toads into princes and so on. His friend told him he was attending "wizzard school" and was learning how to fly! My son has seen all my books and my tools and knows I burn incense and things. I have never told him "I am a witch..." in so many words, but I think it's about time. I tried to explain that magic as we know it is not turning your ex-girlfriend into a frog, but rather, the magic of the mighty oak sprouting from a tiny seed. I think he's getting it, but I did find him copying things out of my books about spells and rituals that he had NO IDEA about.
Anyone have any idea how I can teach him about being pagan without him getting it confused with "Alladin and his magic lamp"?

[mol]

Just be staright forward with him. We have members in this Community that are not much older than your son. I think it may be time to sit down with your son and explain to him your Path. Let him make his own decisions. The last thing you want to do is force anything on him.

Remember that your Path is yours and his is his. Explain that to him as well..who knows this probably will make your bond tighter than it has ever been.

[Nyxee]

Ouch! I think I can guess how you feel. Some friends of mine dabbled with 'witchcraft', basically consisting of them dressing in black and gathering to hold seances.

When they began asking questions about 'real Witchcraft' I made a mistake and got too complicated. They were asking out of curiousity of the unknown, not because the wished to find a spiritual path.

Keep explanations simple. Define real magick, Paganism, and what Witches do. Describe rituals and deities. Explain fairytales. Remember that not everyone has the same idea of what the word 'witch' or 'magic' means. This is where I screwed up :p I expected them to understand just because I could.

Blessings

Mellee

[Rosabelle]

you may be suprised! lots of people who you think arent going to understand it end up understanding quite well. start off slow, but don't say "it is not like Aladdin and Harry Potter" because he might get cross that you thought her would think that. show him some simple books but don't talk about spells. tell him about gem stones and herbs and the Sabbats but don't get to spells until you think he is REALLY ready!
Rosabelle

[Trevi]

Thatt sounds like a good idea. About the sabbats, I mean. I started telling him about the similarities between Easter and Esotre, Christmas and Yule. He thought it was interesting, but the snowboarding on TV was MORE interesting. I think I'll have to start again when the TV is off. He is interested so it should be easier than I thought. The problem will be the difference between Harry Potter (which he LOVES!) and "real" magic. Thanks, everyone.

[Lynnaea]

When dealing with kids and magic, I explain the same as with telling them about sex, just explain what it is they are asking. Don't go on and on when they want a simple explanation, kids ask about what they are ready to understand. If the kid is ready for more, the kid will ask more.

We have people with kids in our coven, most are not yet interested in spiritual things, but a couple of them are old souls and join in on sabbots. One boy is 14 and another family has a girl that is 11. I think the 11 year old is very advanced for her age, she has the makings of a priestess. As expected, she is full of questions.

I am out of the broom closet with my whole family, I think honesty is the right approach with children. My kids are grown and just think their mother is eccentric, my oldest grandaughter is 8 and has known Gramma is a witch since she was 5. She used to think I could make things fly but I explained to her that we never use magic for things we can do with our hands, it would take way too much energy.

[Trevi]

The problem with my son is mainly that this friend of his has been telling him about voodoo. He has made it sound so interesting that my son wants to know how to do it. I explained voodoo to him, but he seems stuck on the fact that if he makes a voodoo doll of someone and throws it through the air, that person will FLY through the air, just like on Scooby Doo!!
My son, even though he's 12, is a very NEW soul. My second son is the same, but the baby is MOST DEFFINATLY an old soul. he knows things that 4 year olds just should'nt know.
I wish my 12 year old had a grasp on things the way the 4 yr old does! Just kidding... he's still so innocent, and thats rare these days. He and the middle boy are learning about life together, and it's soooo cute!

[mol]

I have to say that i love and hate this show at the same time..really puts some weird ideas into kids heads.