Dear Crones,
I am a 16 year old wiccan from Tennessee. My mom is Catholic and my dad is a non practicing Baptist. I have been learning about wicca since I was 13 years old through my aunt. The reason I am writing is that I want to state my opinion on how teens are treated on most wiccan sites. I am a member of many wiccan e-groups. What bothers me is how teens are treated. Whenever we give feedback on most of the subjects, we are disregarded because of our age. I think this is unfair. I figured I would ask you if you would know the reason why? What better group to ask than a group of Crones?

-Dorothy,Tennessee

Dear Dorothy,
It is unfortunate, but we must agree your concern is valid. A few of us are moderators of our own groups and we have seen first hand how the wiccan community discrimanated against our young people. This is sad, however, you shouldn't let this discourage you. We encourage our youth to voice themselves with pride as long as it is done with respect for all the other members. Many older pagans have had bad experiences with young people demanding spells and displaying little regard for the ethics of magickal workings. There is little tolerance for those who expect Wicca/Paganism to be anything like what it has been portrayed to be by the media. Unfortunately, the acts of a few misguided youths have left some of the adults burned and with little tolerance. Please be patient and continue to share your thoughts and perception. There are many of us who value the opinions or our youths.
-Blessings
The Crones