Exposing my family

[jason91078]

So my son (who is almost 4 years old) is afraid of witches because of what he's seen on tv/movies. I try to explain to him that most witches are good but I'm sure he doesn't believe me. One day I told him that I may become a witch. He got mad and scared all at the same time, and told me if I did he would have to defeat me (we do a lot of fighting/battling in my house).

So how do I get my boy to understand that not all witches are bad, and how do you expose your younger family to your Pagan beliefs and bring them into it with you?

 

[challupa]

So my son (who is almost 4 years old) is afraid of witches because of what he's seen on tv/movies. I try to explain to him that most witches are good but I'm sure he doesn't believe me. One day I told him that I may become a witch. He got mad and scared all at the same time, and told me if I did he would have to defeat me (we do a lot of fighting/battling in my house).

So how do I get my boy to understand that not all witches are bad, and how do you expose your younger family to your Pagan beliefs and bring them into it with you?

Show him reruns of Bewitched?... :run:

 

[Valjean]

Invite some local Wiccans for dinner, but don't reveal their religious orientation till your son's learned they're harmless.

And, whatever you do, don't let him see any zombie or werewolf movies!

 

[Quintessence]

If we weren't talking about a highly underdeveloped mind here, I'd say it's about time he learns "don't believe everything you see on TV." The kid's young. I honestly wouldn't worry that much about it. Eventually, he will be developed enough to understand that television reality and the rest of reality are two entirely different things. But since he seems to be in the phase of "TV is just like the rest of reality," introduce in to Harry Potter. Seriously.

 

[jason91078]

And, whatever you do, don't let him see any zombie or werewolf movies!

He is already afraid of the big bad wolf! But not the wolves on nature shows.

If we weren't talking about a highly underdeveloped mind here, I'd say it's about time he learns "don't believe everything you see on TV." The kid's young. I honestly wouldn't worry that much about it. Eventually, he will be developed enough to understand that television reality and the rest of reality are two entirely different things. But since he seems to be in the phase of "TV is just like the rest of reality," introduce in to Harry Potter. Seriously.

My wife and I try to get him to understand that (and we generalize here) tv and movies, stories, etc, are not real and he shouldn't be scared of things. I don't think it matters how much we say it though, kids have imaginations,and when they are alone in their rooms at night trying to go to sleep, well thats when imaginations go wandering.

 

[Quintessence]

Personally, I wouldn't say the stories aren't real. They're quite real, they're just not this-worldly. To put it another way, they're not grounded in our current objective reality, but in an otherworldly reality. But that's probably too big of a thought for a four year old as well. It's too big of a thought for many adult minds I've met. >_<;

 

[Caladan]

But since he seems to be in the phase of "TV is just like the rest of reality," introduce in to Harry Potter. Seriously.

Yeap. If you insist on bringing 'the craft' into your son's environment, I guess the best way to fight media bias is to defeat it at its own game. Harry Potter is a good example, there should be many more examples that break the myth of the old hag with a wart on her nose riding a broomstick into the night.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Good old Wizard of Oz. My daughter loves it, and it certainly gave her the idea that witches were females who did magic, and could be good or bad.

Unfortunately she then seemed to associate 'good' with 'pretty', and 'bad' with 'butt ugly' but that's tomorrow's issue...ahem...

 

[Sha'irullah]

I would try teaching him the actual conception of wizardry and what magic is in its true terms such as ruhaniyya and the inner dimensions of knowledge.

I was a child and understood these things and vast spiritual concepts so I am pretty sure he should to. But then again I was a nerd

Perhaps the only 6 year old who came up with the hypothesis on the particularization of atoms and was proven right in a science class years later

 

[Infinitum]

I like Narnia. Although the only witch it has is evil the story is full of the good sort of magic that I really enjoyed when I was a kid myself. You don't necessarily have to call yourself a witch to make your son understand you better. Just be yourself and introduce any changes you might do in your life relating to becoming a witch as a natural part of everyday life, not something to be worried about. I think at the age of four a child understands deeds a lot better than explanations.

 

[challupa]

Well Bewitched had a really good witch, Samantha, and a real dumb witch, Aunt Clara and even a child witch, Tabitha. Even the not so good witch, Sam's mom is not really scary! It was the show that made being a witch 'cool' when I was a kid, many many many years ago... lol

 

[Guitar's Cry]

There's a halloween kids movie series that casts witches in a good light called Halloweentown.

Depending on the age, maybe you could do a brainstorming session with him where you both list attributes of what a "witch" is. Is a witch old or young, ugly or beautiful, mean or nice, boy or girl? Do they worship the devil, or poison people? Are they healers, or are they diviners?

By defining what he might think a witch is, you may be more easily able to redefine.