A Little Twist ~
Pagan Parenting Can Be Complicated

"Who's that cool guy?" a three year old D asks pointing to a rather large picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hanging in his new bedroom.

"That's Jesus." I reply simply, hoping that this will be a short sweet conversation. Ha! Fat chance.

For weeks afterward Jesus questions pop up randomly ... Where does Jesus live? If he lives in the sky does he have an airplane? Does he have a truck? A red pick-up truck? Does he need to go to the doctor because of his chest wound? Did he have an accident? What does he do?

It's not always easy being a Pagan parent.

Two years later, my husband and I still wonder what the heck we're doing sometimes. We follow a mish-mash of pagan beliefs and magickal traditions. We are open about our beliefs and have found that most people are either a little curious or completely unphased when they discover that we are a Pagan family. Our issue is not that others do not accept of our beliefs, but that some unwittingly challenge what we have tried to instill in our son.

Teachers, fellow parents and caregivers easily poo-poo the likes of witches, faeries and nature spirits. It caused a minor conundrum when our son came home from school one day and said his teacher told him "there are no such things as witches", when that is the term we choose to identify ourselves with. "That's funny," I said. "I am a witch. I am real. Maybe your teacher doesn't know that there are real witches. No one knows everything." Thankfully, the little fellow agreed that was probably the case.

I often wonder what his teachers or classmates think when he goes to school and tells them about cleaning the house with smoke, feasting in honour of a Goddess, or trying to find faerie hiding places in the back garden. I'm sure that many dismiss his tales as a result of an overactive imagination. How frustrating it is when others explain away such lovely things, while we strive to make a magickal life for ourselves.

When my little one goes to school with tales of colourful ribbons and jumping the Beltane fire, his teacher will likely sigh and dismissively say "That's nice". My husband and I will continue to do our best, living by example, to keep his sense of awe and wonder of the world intact. When all is said and done, even if our son does not follow a Pagan path himself, we will be secure in the knowledge that his childhood has held some real magick... no matter what anyone else may say :)