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Teaching Minors About Pagan Spirituality
Here’s a quickie preliminary disclaimer: Keep in mind that for the purposes of this discussion, we’re NOT talking about teaching your own kids. This is a question about teaching spiritual principles and practices to someone else’s child. Anyhoo, away we go. One of the emails I get a LOT goes along the following lines: “I’m really excited to learn about Paganism, but no one will teach me! By the way, I’m thirteen–can you help me?” There are some pretty important implications of teaching Pagan religions (or any other religions, for that matter) to someone who’s underage, and a number of points that need to be addressed. Particularly when it comes…
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Plan an Event for Pagan Kids
So the other day I posted about why sometimes your little darlings might be persona non grata at Pagan events, and sure enough, I got a couple of snippy emails telling me what a dick I am because people can’t go anywhere without their kids and it’s just not fair that their kid can’t come because THEIR kid is good and doesn’t eat crystals and blah blah blah. But seriously, if there’s no one with kids involved in the planning or execution of an event, having children there might not be an option. In fact, sometimes having an activity that’s specifically for kids is a really great option instead. In…
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Set Up an Altar for Pagan Kids
If you have a family altar, that’s great! It’s a nice thing to have, whether you keep it up all year round or just bring it out seasonally. However, if you’re a Pagan or Wiccan parent, you may want to go ahead and let your kids have their very own altar. After all, an altar is a place where we keep things that are sacred to us–but what is sacred to children and what is sacred to adults can be two very different things. This is why it’s a great idea to encourage your kids to have an altar of their own in their bedrooms. It becomes a place they…
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Kids & Pagan Events: They Ain’t Always Welcome
Okay, so let me preface this by saying I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I’m going to get at least ten hatey emails from people who accuse me of being anti-kid, anti-family, and just an all around horrible human being after y’all read this post. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, because this is something that–as someone who has both attended and organized events–is a pretty important topic. Away we go. A reader says, I was recently planning to attend a big Pagan event, and my husband and I were very excited about going. However, when we asked what sort of kids’ activities would be available…
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Teen Pagans and Bullying
It’s no secret that teenagers are often the victims of bullying, and those who are outside the mainstream — those who look different, act different, etc. — can often be targets for malicious behavior. Unfortunately, that can put teen Pagans in a direct path for many bullies, and because school administrators are not typically educated about modern Pagan religions, they may not have a clue about what to do. If you’re a teen Pagan, or the parent of one, and you’ve been the victim of bullying behavior, here are some tips on what to do. Know Your Rights It’s important that you educate yourself about what rights you have as…
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Religion in Public and Private Schools
Every so often I get messages from students who have questions about what sort of religious expression is permitted in school. For instance, who can speak about religion, and in what context? Can your school prohibit you from wearing a shirt with a pentacle on it, or a piece of Pagan jewelry? The answer is going to depend on two things – first, which country you live in, and secondly, whether you attend a private or public school. For the purposes of this post, we’re going to focus on schools in the United States, simply because I don’t have the knowledge needed to speak with any semblance of authority on…
