My Child Shows an Interest in Wicca...

As a parent, I think one of the scariest scenarios one can play out in their mind is their child being exposed to something you don't understand, and believe may lead them down the wrong path. No parent wants to see their child involved in something they think might hurt them in the end. Scary situations can include being exposed to drugs, alcohol, theft, gangs, etc. But I think one of the more scarier scenarios is the idea that you child may be exposed to a mind-changing cult.

A little background before I continue on with this post...just to set at ease the minds of concerned parents: **I** am a married parent of 3 children. My oldest is 11, middle is 8, my youngest is 2. I have been a practicing Pagan for over 15 years, and have basically seen it all (though there are a few things that surprise me now and then). I understand the concerns of parents, even Christian parents, as at one point, I WAS Christian...for a good number of years.

Now, your child comes home and drops a huge bombshell on you. They've either been reading about Wicca or have become a full-fledged Wiccan on their own. Mind-blown!! At that point you are confused, worried, terrified and concerned. There are a million scary scenarios playing out in your head...your child dancing naked around a fire, having underage sex with random people, cutting themselves, killing cats, etc. I can assure you none of these are stereotypes are true.

If you look at my post about what Wicca is, you will find information that may put your mind at ease. Any sort of reputable material you find on Wicca will tell you 1) No one does anything they are uncomfortable with. Your child is NOT required to be naked for any Wiccan participation. Anyone who say they should, should not be considered a legitimate Wiccan, and that would be cause for concern. 2) Sex with minors is forbidden (more or less). While Wicca is a fertility religion and values sex as something beautiful and natural, they do NOT condone acts of a sexual nature with any minors. Any sexual acts are done by consenting ADULTS and are done in secluded privacy...not in front of other people. 3) One of the main ethics of Wicca says "An It Harm None, Do As Thou Will". As a parent (who undoubtedly won't understand the true meaning behind this), you can see that harm is quite frowned upon. So if your child is cutting themselves or others, or you find other kinds of injuries on your child and s/he claims it has something to do with being Wiccan, I would be more concerned they are being exposed to inaccurate information. There are a lot of shoddy authors out there perpetuating nonsense to sell a book. This nonsense can in a way be dangerous for your child, especially if it says that some sort of physical injury is common place in the religion. 4) Injuring animals is also heavily frowned upon, as it also violates the ethics stated above. Not only does this ethic condemn injury to people, it also condemns injuries to animals as well.

So, red flags to watch out for would indeed be the scary scenarios listed above...I would warn your child they may be exposed to inaccurate information.


So how do I handle my child being Wiccan?
There are any number of ways to ensure your child maintains finding shoddy, inaccurate information on Wicca...and that would be to fight against your child learning. I'm not saying don't be true to your beliefs, whatever they may be. I'm saying don't flat out say "No, you will NEVER participate in this! Ever!". Fighting with your child or being unnecessarily hostile against what they are learning is a sure way of causing rebellion. You will only push your child to find whatever s/he can find on Wicca, from ANY source...and most of the time it will be really horrible resources, mostly because s/he will figure you won't let them find reputable sources from places like book stores or online stores like Amazon...they will fear you will take their information and destroy it.

The BEST way to handle your child dropping such a shocking bombshell on you is to remain calm. Listen to the reasons your child has taken an interest in this. Ask questions and be supportive. If this IS a phase...you have little to lose, but a lot to gain. You will gain information on something you once thought was dangerous.

Study alongside your child. I don't expect you to become Wiccan yourself, but exploring and learning what s/he is will help you to alleviate any fears and concerns you have. And if something draws your attention that might worry you, ask your child about it, then do some further research to either confirm or deny what you've read and asked your child about.


Should you maintain your decision that you do not wish your child to become Wiccan, again, remain calm and explain your reasons why you don't wish them to continue with this path. The unfortunate part of this is the higher chance s/he will go out on their own. Just be sure to check once in a while, if they do decide to practice behind your back, and make sure they are working with reputable material.

A listing of reputable books can be found in the link above.