Avatar: The Last Airbender

This picture is property of
http://asuburbanvoterwrites.blogspot.com/2011/11/avatar-last-airbender-hd-wallpapers.html

I LOVE this cartoon. Actually my whole family does. It's one of our favorite family shows. It's a great way to introduce the four elements, the spirit world, meditation, reincarnation, and balance to your child. This along with important values like honor, friendship, goodness, responsibility, and overcoming our differences make it a perfect show for families. It's funny, sweet, and gives you the opportunity to discuss important issues with your kids on a level they can understand.

This Asian inspired story follows Aang, the last Airbender and current Avatar who is destined to save the world by mastering all four elements and taking out the Fire Lord who is bent on taking over the world. He is the last of the Air Nomads, a group of Monks from high up in the Mountains. The show aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 -2008 and has been turned into a movie. The show itself has a sequel coming out soon called The Legend of Korra.

Pagan Parenting in the Dark

Something fairly upsetting happened about a month ago. We took our son out to lunch and a group of old women in blue came in (ironically they were nuns). Well my son immediately hid his face and said they were Witches and he hated Witches because they were scary. Both me an my husband explained to him that just being elderly doesn't make someone a Witch and even if they were Witches he had nothing to be afraid of because not all Witches are bad, in fact a large portion of them are very good. He said oh and moved on. I don't believe in over explanations. I address the stuff that is said or asked and try not to explain more than he can handle.

Well at the beginning of last week he found a toy in his collection of someone with a scary green mask that can be lifted up and down. He told me that the mask made him a Witch and he was mean and scary. I immediately had yet another conversation that the mask was just a mask, that Witches don't really look like that, and being a Witch doesn't make someone mean or scary. He said okay but he's 3. Yet again I am faced with another problem from having to hide my faith. How do I get him to understand that cartoon Witches aren't real portrayals of us if I can't even admit that I am one.

We've taken him to various pagan shops with us and I've tried reading him pagan friendly stories but other than that I am lost at what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions of movies I can watch with him, books we can read or projects we can do to help him understand? If anyone else has faced this problem tell us what you did or how you handled it.