Pagan Parenting: My Way

I grew up in a "Christian Light" household. By that I mean my mother claimed she was Christian but never preached to us, never went to a church, and the only religious study she encouraged was to throw a children's bible at me on my 13th birthday and tell me to read it.

My grandparents were the opposite. They were very fundamental. You went to church on Sundays. Always had to dress up. Sunday school was suppose to be a weekly event. I remember the one and only time I went. I guess I asked a "dumb" question. I never went back. I don't remember what I asked now, but I remember what they were preaching didn't make much sense to me.


So as my daughter matures I've always let my daughter know that when she wishes to participate and learn about Wicca I will teach her. Similarly, I will help her learn other faiths as well. I feel it is important to learn about all major and some minor religions to have a better understanding of other cultures and people.
Last year my daughter participated in her first Full moon ceremony. I was so proud of her! She said her part when it came time and took her cues from the adults. She enjoyed it a lot. She also has worked with me when doing a spell and kept asking to "do it again". lol. For now she thinks its fun, but knows its not something that is to be played with. I've always told her what I believe in, and in no way do I expect her to follow me. But if that is her wish I would help guide her way.

Over the years I've had to protect her from other people. While I don't mind that she learns about other religions when she is older and doesn't believe everything she hears, in her younger years they are so impressionable. When she was a toddler I didn't speak much about our faith and when I did speak about it, I always reminded her that its what I believe and one day she would learn and make a choice about her faith. While she was young and too impressionable we dropped off the "Pagan radar". Mainly because I didn't want to be carrying around a toddler at festivals, but it served to isolate us from others. I feel that if they are young enough where just mentioning God means the child repeats, "I believe in God" then its too young.

Religion is a choice, not a birth right. I do not want my daughter to be Wiccan because I am. I want her to study and come to that conclusion (Or whatever faith she decides) herself.

Combining faith in marriage

A lot of Pagans face a difference of opinion between their spouse in regards to religion. Unless you were lucky enough to find your significant other in a Pagan community, your spouse most likely doesn't see completely eye to eye with you. That is fine, we don't have to agree. I got lucky enough to find a man who is somewhat close to what I believe. Matter of fact he helped shape some of my ideals. But we don't believe exactly.

Now for myself, I classify as a Solitary Eclectic Wiccan. My DH however does not like to classify himself at all. He simply calls himself spiritual. At one time he studied most major religions, and a few not so major ones. He wanted to become a Native American Shaman but the Shaman he wanted to study under refused. So while he's learned some things about Shamanism, he is not technically a Shaman.

Combining Wicca & Shamanism isn't all that hard. They both believe in a male and female incarnation of deity. I work mostly with Isis. But I do not have a major draw to any male deity so we use The Great Spirit for when we work with the male aspect of deity.

Do you find it difficult to combine your religion and your So's? How do you reconcile your differences in belief?