For Concerned Parents

If your parents want to question you about paganism or are shocked that you have chosen something different or if they have grounded you for that you can show them this (I was grounded for being pagan...... I laughed and showed my mom this and she understood!!)

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Okay-you've picked up this book, and you're going through minor coronary arrests. How could this be? Your has a book on witchcraft! Shudder. Before you rush into their room and put them on a plane to the nearest church camp, or bus them to a convent, or throw holy water on them in the presents of your favorite ministerial councilor, or carry all of their book and magazines to the attic until you can sort them out in heart-thumping silence, or melt into a sobbing puddle at their sneakerd feet, relax and spend a few minutes with me-nineteen years-one of the most famous Witches witches in the u.s.a. today.
This is an okay book for your children to read. There's nothing bad in here, and maybe the book will help you understand why Witchcraft is one of the fastest growing religions in America. You can stop worrying that the child you've battled the odds of peer pressure to maintain and worked so hard to support will attack you in the dark with a butcher knife and try to sacrifice fluffy when your back is turned. It isn't going to happen.
Through statistical analysis we've discovered that one in every five people in the U.S. has dabbled in the world of the "unknown" whether we're talking about ESP (Extrasensory perception), tarot cards, angles, creative visualization, Paganism, Metaphysics, Witchcraft, New age beliefs, etc. Let's face the truth. I'm a parent, too, and I worry about the same things you do. I figure I worked hard to birth my kids and take care of them, and I don't want some nut coming in at the last minute and blowing all my efforts into the toilet of drugs and alcohol, teen prostitution, and whatever other muck teens occasionally manage to wade into. The dangers are there and, hopefully, this book will help them avoid some of those bad places. Yes, I said "avoid."

If your child has handed you this book, please take the time to read the text rather than going tizzy, screaming at your kid, and whisking the material out from under them. If your child has the curiosity itch, let them talk to you about what they are feeling and how they wish to relater religion to themselves-and for pity's sake, don't "tell" them what religion is and is not. Let them discover spirituality for themselves. If your child has this book it mean that they wish to search the universe for answers they've not received from traditional teachings. No you don't let them down. All kids seek to experience new things, even religion. Let them search. You can help a child navigate, but you cannot steer the ship forever. Someday, they will do that on their own, with or without you. Let it be with you.

I'm in the process of raising four kids. They are all Witches, just like me. Witchcraft is an earth-centered religion focused on raising an individual's spirituality. Witchcraft is not, nor was it ever, a vehicle for satanic worship. If you believe this, then you've fallen into a misinformation trap that we quickly need to get out of so that you can relate to the interest of your child. I suggest that you take the time to read this book all the way through; then, if you don't agree with the information, at least you are making an informed choice. If you allow your child to read this book, be open and free with unbiased input for them. Gently say, "well, your father and I believe this because..." and give them a good answer-a thoughtful answer. This gives your child the opportunity to respect what you believe. You cannot force any human being to believe in god; they must come to god on their own terms.
    Teen years are tough times. As a parent of four teens (my youngest is in middle school) I can relate to all your fears and all the dreams you have for your child. You worry about drugs, strange ideas they seem to have floating around them from peers you wish the good lord would ship to Siberia (or even off the face of the planet if this was possible), sexual desire (personally, I think that the Goddess should have installed an on/off switch where sexuality is concerned, allowing parents to glue that "off" button in place until the kid has reached the age of twenty-five), fast cars, raging hormones, and a steady non-pluggable hole in your checking account. As you will understand when you read this book, Witchcraft isn't something you need to worry about. Celebrate that your child seeks empowerment. If you feel that the craft is still against your belief system after you've read the book, don't panic. I've written this book so that your teen (of you) can take any of the techniques herein and use them in your own religious background
    You may just find yourself interested in the topic.
    You never know.
    It can happen.

Teen Witch
by D.J. Conway

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