How Do I Tell My Parents?

You've read all about Wicca and you think you might be ready to start really practicing it. Now, how do you tell your parents? Not surprisingly, the biggest problem teens face when beginning witchcraft is telling their parents about their beliefs and what they do.

The first thing you should remember is that no matter how they may treat you, your parents do love you. If your parents react with anger, it is not because they hate you or want to punish you. It is because they are afraid for you and fear that you might be doing something that will hurt you. If your parents do react with anger, don't argue or lash out. Usually, giving them some time and information about your new religion will warm them up to it.

Obviously parents are all different, so there are different ways of telling them. You Obviously would not walk up to your strictly Southern-Baptist mother and say, "hey mom, just thought you'd like to know I'm practicing witchcraft." Some parents are biased toward other religions because anything else would make them feel as thought they are betraying their own faith. If you know that your parents will disagree, no matter what, then you should either break it to them more slowly and more gently, or you should think about putting off practicing until you are older.

Many parents, on the other hand, are a little more open than others to new ideas. You would be surprised how many parents will try to learn more about something before saying no. Here is a good guideline for breaking the news gently:

  1. First, never use words like "witch" or "witchcraft." These words have a history of negative meanings and they can give others the wrong idea about your religion. Even the word "pagan" can give off negative connotations. Explain that you are interested in "Wicca" as a religion and ask your parents if they have ever heard of it. Because they will not know any of the lingo, you should call sabbats "holidays" or "holy days." Stay away from words like "spells," "magic," and "voodoo." These words often frighten people who do not understand pagan religions.
  2. Never give your parents any reason to doubt you. If you act out or go against what they ask of you, they will likely be unwilling to trust you with this new "Wicca" thing. Do not lie, steal, or do drugs. Keep up your grades in school and try to refrain from fighting with your parents about your beliefs. You should set the best example you can. Wicca serves to better the people who practice it. If your parents see that you are or have become a better person because of it, they may be more lenient. If they think it is causing you to act out, or is part of it, then they will be much less likely to take you seriously.
  3. Do your best to let your parents understand that this is what you are comfortable with right now and that you are serious about it. Parents like to know that their children trust them and feel like they can come to them for anything. Tell the truth about what you are doing without scaring them. For some parents, it may take some getting used to. Just try to follow your parents' rules and get them involved as much as you can so that they feel like they are a part of your life and not ostracized from it.

You may want to print out the article at this link to give to your parents.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License