Pagan Centered Podcast – Episode 132 – Gifted Pagan Teens – Mundane

2009
12.29

Download Episode

Back to listing
00:58 LetsSayThanks.com
02:44 Parents accidentally forcing their religion upon their children.
03:30 Parents are supposed to guide their children.
04:43 Abby writes:Hi PCP peoples,

I have been listening to your podcast for about 6 months or so and while I don’t always agree, I do enjoy hearing the different views represented. (Barbara is AWESOME)

It seems like every pagan parenting podcast and article I have listened to or read generally deals with young kids, preschool or younger. I am glad you are doing a podcast on pagan teens, that isn’t addressed often enough. My child is in between those age groups and I never hear anyone talk about the pagan “tweens”. It would be neat-o to hear a pagan parent podcast that represents parents with kids of all ages, preschool, elementary age, middle school and high school.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on the subject of pagan parents “shoving their faith down kids/teens throat”. I guess I don’t really understand the “accidentally” part. How do you do that accidentally? My understanding of shoving faith down a child’s throat would be if you only present one view, your own, at every opportunity.

The reality is that kids tend to copy (especially young children) what they see their parents do. So if you are a practicing pagan (as in actually practicing your faith, not just reading books about practicing your faith) and you do not hide that from your kids (and why would you), they will watch, imitate, pick up and ask questions. I don’t think that is a bad thing.

I don’t think it is my job to tell my child what to believe, however I do think it is my job to present the diversity of the community she lives in and guide her when she has questions or concerns. I feel that carries over in other areas of life as well not just faith and religion. It also includes teaching a child to research a topic, find more than one resource or opinion, use logic and recognize BS when they hear it.

Thanks for the podcasts
Looking forward to more
Abby
06:41 Is not swaying a child’s religious beliefs an unachievable “pie in the sky” idea?
07:15 Children repeat what they see.
07:56 Parents bad mouthing a religion is a method of forcing religion upon a child.
09:18 Community influences religious choice.
09:47 Neutrality is impractical.
12:52 Being the child’s best friend rather than being a parent of a teen.
13:29 Difference in world view between teenagers and adults.
15:54 Coming out of the broom closet as a Pagan parent.
17:32 Parents wanting their children to be just like them.
18:16 Generation Y and The Burger King Life, have it your way
19:10 Teens lack life experience.
20:04 Hormones and thinking.
20:54 Parents should bring up children in their religion.
21:52 If you’re raising a child to not believe anything, are you raising them to be agnostic or atheist?
24:43 Children are not being taught to experience anything, just getting an academic understanding.
26:56 Pagans in high school
27:53 Bible distribution in schools
33:29 Disruption of class is the generic excuse for fundies to get what they want.
36:06 Many Teachers do not have a layer of separation required for teaching without imposing their beliefs.
36:28 Teachers are the worst among us.
37:30 Discrimination vs. Petty Crap
39:06 Deal with the issues and understanding we are ever closer to a middle ground
40:34 Teachers have the 1 kid mentality
41:36 After school clubs
43:04 Pagans tend to be loners in their teen years for a few reasons
45:20 The main thing is we need to get teens to make their own groups for themselves.
45:55 Is adult backing important for high school Pagan groups?
46:53 Teens need to learn to stand up for themselves.
47:53 Pagans as a whole like pretending there are no Pagans under the age of 18
48:06 Ostara observance in high school squashed by school officials
48:54 How participants on Witchvox completely bashed on the group trying to observe Ostara in high school.
49:31 “I’m so persecuted” – WELL THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!