Don't worry...I haven't forgotten about the blog I just haven't had anything bursting to get out and onto here.
That being said Lisa and I are in the final days and weeks of preparation for when Harry arrives and while we have not been asked by our friends how he will be raised because it is a given it has popped up in the family.
The question has been broached by family in somewhat of a passive aggressive manner but that is not the purpose of this post. I want to talk a little bit about the belief of some pagans...pagans mind you, I did not say heathens...that raising your children in your "faith" is tantamount to child abuse and indoctrination that I see on some message boards and forums.
I am curious as to how we raise our child is a) any of your business or b) indoctrinating them. If you wish to be a mish-mash of pagan what the fuckery and YOU feel it is necessary to teach your child about all the different religions out there so they can make their own decision as to what to be when they are old enough then you go right on ahead. We however will be raising our child in the manner we sit fit, that way being Harry Mykola Golden will be raised heathen. We will teach him about his great grandfather Harry and great grandfather Mykola whose name he bears, he will be taught about our gods, our Holy Tides, about what it means to be heathen and that it is not just a word.
He will learn family is the most important, he will learn what inner and outer is, he will learn that we do not play viking or read from the lore as if it were some bunch of books to be regurgitated verbatim and taken literally. I want our son to learn that the land we currently live on is HIS land, and someday, hopefully, WILL be his, land that we worked hard to get and work hard to keep, and even harder to keep the reciprocal gifting relationship with the wights and gods intact.
I want him to learn not only that the grove on our land is sacred but WHY it is sacred. I want him to learn WHY we do what we do which in turn explains the when and how we do it. He will learn why we make offerings, the offerings we make and to whom. I want him to learn about all of the people who are in his mommy and daddies "yard" as well as those who we consider friends. Our son is going to hopefully get not only the "best" of the both of us, but get from both sides what he needs to be a good heathen and a great man. I want him to learn what it means...truly means...to BE heathen, and this is something that we can learn together as I am still learning from people I care about and trust.
And while he may not have godparents in the traditional sense...although Lisa's side keeps asking about it...he will have 2 very special people to help guide him.
If Harry wishes to "do something different" when he is old enough that will be up to him, but I can only hope that we do the best job we can do in raising him, to be a good person, a respectful person and a heathen people will want to associate with. We will raise our son heathen...and he will make us both proud.
I hope he makes some of you proud too.
More to follow...
THAT is how it should be! If you don't teach your kids what you believe then who will they believe when they start to learn this stuff. You teach them your ways and then later if they decide it doesn't work for them you support them in their search. I'm pretty confident that anyone truly raised as a Heathen will come back to Heathenry sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteA person can't be indoctrinated if it's not a religion. Harry will learn the custom of his parents and their inneryard. Just like any kid learns the custom of their parents.
ReplyDeletesome of my favorites...
ReplyDelete"I didnt teach my 3 anything about religion unless they asked me ,we would discuss things they had learnt at school or that another child had told them ,then they would make their own minds up .Of course children are infuenced by their surroundings and people they mix with too both family ,friends,and school teachers.Best thing is to help them to be independant and think for themselves ,so they can come to their own conclusions .Read plenty of books ,join the library etc"
"Witchcraft or Christianity it doesn't matter it can still be indoctrination-I prefer the term brainwashing, if you just expose them to it though I don't see a problem other than they could get discriminated against early on by other people, if I have kids they can believe whatever they choose, I want them to pick their own faith after educating themselves regardless of what I believe"
"I dont want them to learn just one kind. I would rather them learn about different kinds that way they can make decisions as to what suits them best. I dont want them to shut their minds to anything."
"I was thinking about how i am not raising my child to believe or follow any specific path because i think she should have the right to choose what speaks to her, if anything."
the ones speaking out against it see, to be almost militant in the manner in which they go about it which surprises me and as Jeff said...If not us teaching them, then who."
Well said Gary.
ReplyDeleteI wish you and Lisa didn't have to deal with some of the issues that can be gleaned from this post. You and Lisa will be excellent parents, and I know you both will do everything in your power to guide him down a path to make him a good person. I'm sure my thoughts and opinions on this matter are not unique.