Rev Janet Callahan

Priestess and Author

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Why are events for Pagan families so hard to staff?

March 31, 2019 by Janet Callahan Leave a Comment

Recently, I got introduced to some other Pagan parents who were looking for…well, mentoring might be a good word. They were interested in writing for Pagan parents and Pagan kids, and we got to talking about events that have programming tracks for Pagan youth, and how that works or doesn’t work, and why some books get more publicity than others.

And we talked about why it’s often difficult to get people to submit children’s programming at family friendly events.

I had some ideas on this, but I decided to ask in one of the big Pagan Parenting groups I’m in, and a lot of their answers paralleled my own experiences.

One thing that came up repeatedly was that programming and babysitting are two different activities, and most events treat them the same…as do many parents. Kids programming is often seen as a place to park your child while you do something you’d like to do instead. While there’s space for this, the event needs to be clear on what they’re providing.

There need to be clear rules about how children are expected to behave in the children’s area, and a way to reach parents whose children aren’t acting in accordance with those rules. There is a balance to be had between “free range” parenting that allows children to go wherever they want to go, and the liability that the venue and organizers may have if something happens to a child.

And if what an event is providing really is childcare, they need to consider providing, at a minimum, materials required for the activities involved. It may not have occurred to the organizers if they don’t have small children, but child care is expensive, and if that’s what an event is really providing, it may be worth charging for that service and hiring a company to provide it.

Another thing that came up repeatedly is that children’s programming really is often different than programming for adults, and those presenting need to understand that. Presenters who want kids to sit down and listen for their entire 45 minute (or more) block are not likely to be as successful as someone who is flexible, keeps attention spans in mind, and uses movement, song, and story-telling together to create a multi-sensory environment.

One complaint that came up several times was that it often seemed that parents took children’s’ programming and events for granted. They were frequently late, if they showed up at all, and getting a consistent group going was a struggle because of this. At larger events, parents often send their children in the direction of the kids’ area, without any expectation that they will get there or stay there.

I’d argue, from a parent’s perspective, that as a mom with two autistic children, we struggle to find activities that are set up in a way they can actually participate, even with hands-on 1:1 help. Managing kids’ energy is much like managing ritual energy, and I rarely see that in events in the community, which makes most programming a non-starter for us.

So then, the question is, what do we do with this info? How do we create sustainable family friendly programming for all ages, when we all have different opinions of what it should look like? How do we make our events safe without making them too confining? How do we learn to be a true community and share the workload?

I think the first task is to have that discussion. What does the local community need or want? Who is willing to organize, and what are the parameters required to make it work?

I would love to hear what’s working for you and your community.

Originally published March 19, 2019, on paganbusinesnetwork.com

Check out my new energy work page, http://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsEnergyStudio

Filed Under: Essays, parenting

Children and Ancestors

September 19, 2018 by Janet Callahan Leave a Comment

In a recent discussion in one of the business masterminds I’m in, we got to talking about children and various things about raising them in a magical household.

Most days, it’s complicated.

One topic that we’ve actually touched on at home recently that came up was ancestor veneration.

 

 

Have you seen the movie Coco? One of the big features of Dia De Muertos is the ofrenda, the altar that deceased loved ones come to visit as part of the celebration. The idea that we must remember those ancestors is key to the story, and it’s a key to ancestor veneration too, though we can take it a step farther and call on ancestors that we don’t know.

Ancestors are a pretty concrete idea for most kids – they know that their parents also had parents (their grandparents). It’s not much of a stretch to understand that their grandparents also had parents and grandparents, even if they never met them.

So hearing that family tree, and stories surrounding those people, help make their memories come alive. This is why people tell stories. Every year at Samhain I tell my kids stories about relatives who have passed on – relatives they knew, and relatives that they never met. I have grand plans to make a book with photos and everything….but so far it’s a pile of scrap booking supplies.

abstract tree design with arms as the trunk, fingers as the branches, and multi-colored leaves

The question then becomes, how do we talk about veneration with our kids?

At our house, there are two parts to that answer.

The first is that on a regular basis (theoretically daily, but we’re in a not-daily mode right now), we light a candle and incense, and we ask all the grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles, all the nature spirits in and around our home, and our gods and goddesses, to protect us and our home and our extended family.

The second, which has come up more recently, has been asking them for help. My daughter suffers from severe anxiety, and she’s an empath. One thing we’ve talked about during a recent flare up of her anxiety is that she can ask all the grandmas and grandpas to help her be brave, and to help her see which feelings belong to her and which ones don’t. And we’ve talked about how she can ask the grandmas and grandpas to help her carry her big feelings when they’re too big, and to help her let go of feelings that aren’t hers.

It’s big picture. It’s not subtle and nuanced. But right now, it’s working for her, and giving her ways to make the energetic connections, and tools to help her control her anxiety.

How about you? How do you approach teaching your children about ancestors?Check out my new energy work page, http://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsEnergyStudio

Filed Under: Essays, Magical Moms Club, parenting

Ways to Use Reiki with Kids

February 23, 2018 by Janet Callahan Leave a Comment

If you know me, you’ve heard my stories about using Reiki with my kids – from Reiki in the NICU to Reiki on the little bumps and bruises that kids get to getting my kids to sleep.

Little Miss B, at 6, comes over asking us to kiss every injury – I kiss my hand (because sheesh, it’s always a toe or some other really inconvenient place she wants a kiss) and put my hands over the spot to do Reiki. Within moments, she says, “All Better” and takes off.

One of my goals with my new energy work practice is to do more work with families and children, particularly those with special needs. So, I decided to start looking at what other people were doing with kids out there, and got rather frustrated with the things I was reading.

So, I think I’m going to work on putting some stuff out there on Reiki and children. I’m also prepping a class for parents on doing Reiki on their children.  Interested? Comment below!Check out my new energy work page, http://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsEnergyStudio

Filed Under: classes, Magical Moms Club, parenting, Special Needs

Review: Rainbow Bodies

February 21, 2018 by Janet Callahan Leave a Comment

Rainbow Bodies book, blue background with a rainbow at the top and the silhouette of a child on a swing

Rainbow Bodies, By Kelly Collins Kascavitch

 

This book is made up of amazingly beautiful photos, each specifically matched, by color, to the chakra they’re talking about in those pages.  Each pair of pages has sentences explaining that charkra, which rhyme (though sometimes, the length of the sentences makes those rhymes more subtle). Some of the first and last pages talk about what chakras are, and how to care for our energetic bodies.

All in all, it’s really a nice little book, and I think we’ll enjoy reading it over and over.

 

_______

As usual, the opinions expressed are my own, and I bought this book myself.Check out my new energy work page, http://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsEnergyStudio

Filed Under: Magical Moms Club, parenting, Reviews

Fall already?

August 23, 2017 by Janet Callahan Leave a Comment

How in the world has it been 8 months since my last post?  My goal this year was weekly…but it’s been that kind of year. We’ve started new therapies with the kids, and had some new health things crop up with them. I’ve had some more intense things come up at work that have required my attention. We’re without a housekeeper at the moment, so laundry and cleaning toilets has to fit in there too.

mom with multiple arms doing all the jobs

I’ve been working on doing a better job of time management, and of planning how to get business things done. And…I’ve decided to take a break from learning about marketing and running a business to actually write…which is a huge part of my business.

I’m writing a (public) monthly Pagan Parenting Tip of the Month (PPTotM) on Patreon and I’ve started posting outlines and work in progress on “Magical Parenting” over there (for patrons only). I’m writing a  Pagan parenting advice column on PBN news.  I’m getting some help to get back on the newsletter horse, so to speak, and hired someone to help pull that together every month. I’m scheduling local in-person classes. I’m doing more business networking locally. I’m on the hunt for a space for local classes and for doing Reiki and other energy work, because I want a space that is mine, and because the local scene for those sorts of spaces are pretty full.

School here starts in about a week and a half, and my goal is to talk more here on my blog about special needs kids, and holidays, and putting it all together. I signed us up as our own little 2-child splinter of a local Pagan youth group, and I’m working on building that into our schedule too.  The kids thrive on routines and schedules, and I need them to keep me from dropping any of the balls I’m juggling 🙂

So, here’s to the new school year, and to more consistency….Check out my new energy work page, http://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsEnergyStudio

Filed Under: classes, Essays, parenting, Personal

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