Anonymous asked this question on 3/27/2000:

I am wiccan and my children have been raised wiccan. They have been exposed to the ideology of all major religions so that they may make an informed decision when they are older. The question is, they will be starting school soon and I want to know how to protect them from being spoon fed Christian dogma (10 commandments, etc) and also how to help keep them from being harrased about their religion as I was in school. Also a school here recently suspended a student for wearing a pentagram calling a gang symbol. I would love to send them to private school but all the ones in my area are affiliated with a church.

Wiccan Mom

rainbowlady gave this response on 3/27/2000:

Talk, talk, talk and more talk. Let your kids know that you're there to talk to them if they have questions about what is taught at the schools. Pay attention to what books your kids are studying from. You can ask your school to let you see a copy of their texts. I know my oldest brought home study guide about Jesus and the Jewish people, and I was a bit concerned, utnil I turned it over and saw on the other side Norse mythology.

If your child wears a pentagram to school (and if they're only starting, it's in kindergarten-- or the other equivalents around the world) and I doubt they'd consider it a gang symbol on a five or six year old.

If you've already been teaching them the tenets of other major faiths, they should already know the Ten Commandments and how, if at all,it relates to their faith. If not, explain it to them. Stay involved in their schooling: ask questions and if you are really worried, attend school board meetings.

As for the harassment, I'm guessing that if your child can make friends now, and keep those friends through the years, then when things like religion and sexual orientation become "issues" for the kids (and not the kids' parents), their friends will find it harder to fall for the preconcieved prejudices that many have for Wiccans, non-heterosexuals etc. Being a bisexual woman married to a lesbian, and living a very out existence, my kids' friends see my wife and I holding hands at wrestling matches, etc. And yet they don't shun my kids because of it (although I must admit the fear was there.) These kids have known my kids before I was out in the community, and it's harder to hate gays when you actually no someone who is gay-- even if it's only your friends "cool" mom.

Hope this helps.

Love and Light, Rainbowlady

The average rating for this answer is 4.8.

Anonymous rated this answer a 5.

Thanks!