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Answering the Tough Questions

© Mary Ballzigler

Parenting techniques must be as unique as the children we parent. Upon entering Orion's (my oldest child) kindergarten classroom this morning, I noticed something very fascinating. Every child in Orion's classroom is dressed in the required uniform. Each child performs the same tasks to prepare for class. It is such a synchronized routine, yet what stands out most is what goes on just before each child reaches the classroom door. Each child's mother or father wishes them a good day in their own parting ritual. Each ritual is a beautiful dance that would only work for that one unique parent and child.

The same applies to the spiritual paths we guide our children down. What works for my oldest child will not necessarily work for my younger son. Our world is full of a plethora of information and theories; we, as parents, must pick and chose how much and when to share this information with our young ones. There are countless numbers of professional experts that will attempt to give us the proper way to rear our children. In reality, though, the only expert on how to raise your child is you, the parent. I would like to begin a discussion where we all share our techniques of helping our young pagans understand how they fit into the world around them. Together I believe that we can reassure each other that we are indeed experts in child rearing. When our confidence as parents are raised, it will have a dramatic impact on our children.

Both of my children have been brought up in a solitary practicing pagan family. We do have pagan friends with children that we will attend ritual with on occasion, but for the most part my boys are the lone pagan children. Orion is the only pagan child at his school, which has caused him to become confused at times. He came home from school not too long ago terrified by the stories of the devil that his friend, Paul, had told him. I was then faced with the dilemma of what to tell him. Should I tell him there was absolutely no devil? Should I tell him that for some the devil is very real and not for others? Do I simply tell him the stories of the Horned God and how the Christians converted him into the infamous "devil"? It was quite the pickle to say the least.

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