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Loreley Features
Loreley European WitchcampTaking My Kids to Witchcampby YoekeMy teenage daughters (15 and 13) have been joining me in Witchy meetings whenever they could. "I like being with Witches because they are as weird as we are so you can just be yourself," one of them explained. They thought it was unkind of me to go to Witchcamp without them the past two years, and insisted it would only be fair if they could join the fun. Boredom and JoyActually, I was kind of worried about that. What if I was doing deep, intense shadow-work at a ritual and then one of my wonderful teens tapped my shoulder, saying: "Maaaaaa... I'm booooored...." - because they DO that, no matter how well trained, magically or otherwise.
Click photo for full-sizeOn the other hand, I had been craving opportunities to show my teenage daughters that schoolwork and studies, plus the right music and clothes, are just a start. There's more. I wanted to show them that it is possible to be treated as equals, to be with adults without being "too young" to be taken seriously, to be with adults who actually have fun, too, who love being weird as much as you... Where do we find examples of how to live together in an honest way, a fun way, a magical way - examples to show our teens and invite them to be part of? So I took them with me to Loreley. It was an opportunity to show them. In exchange, I was prepared to see my camp-experience, my deep trances, and my after-shadow-work-tears interrupted by my kids. I was not prepared for the joy they brought! Having my kids with me (oh well, at least they were in the vicinity, doing their own campstuff, and we sometimes met, hugged, and laughed together for a brief moment) in a Witchcamp made me feel so complete, so happy and fulfilled! Two worlds meet: kids meet mom riding broomstick, mom meets Witchlets where once were teens... Having kids around at Witchcamp was so much more complete! There were several advantages to this situation:
More Surprises Back HomeAnother surprise comes at school where The Friends suddenly admit they think it is Cooooool to be a Witch and actually want to learn more about it too! One of the proofs that Loreley worked for my daughters was in their report to their father, who is quite skeptical about all that "broomstuff." "So then we found our power-animal, which is kind of like..." one of them tried to explain. "Like an animal you think of and who will help you when you need it? Like a bear?" her father asked. "Actually... yes. And it WAS a bear." No embarrassment, no judgement, just happy reports and (therefore) understanding. And then there were the languages, which presented special problems for the teens: "There were these two girls who spoke only French, which was difficult in the beginning because we had to get used to that," one explained. "But in the end we had really important conversations together and we could talk about anything because we trusted each other," the other added. Knowing their disliking of French in school, I asked them: "So... did you talk in French with them?" A moment of silence. "Actually, I don't remember... But it worked fine anyway." The only drawback on taking your kids to Witchcamp: I know they had a great time and had some really interesting experiences, discovering magic, making new friends. But we did not have the time at camp to talk about it (all of us being too busy and having too much fun) and now, after camp, I have to read the teachers' reports to find out what they've been doing... If you haven't had the chance to bring your kids to witchcamp, my advice as a mom and organiser would be: create this chance! Click here for teachers' thoughts on working with young people at Loreley Witchcamp. For more information on Loreley European Witchcamp, visit www.reclaimingloreley.com
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