Readings for teenagers/young adults

Zac

I'm 16, very close to 17, one of those old for his years types. Anyway, I have problems reading for just about anyone, for a number of reasons. A. Adults don't take me seriously. They think I'm a kid playing a silly game. B. Most of the people I'd read for are immature or deeply skeptical. I'd probably refuse more than half of my friends if I was asked, b/c they would just be so stupid abt. it, I tried it once, never again EVER!!! I have close friends that I do it for, but after being accused of being trippy, high, insane, superstitious, etc. I'm reluctant to do it for or near anyone else.
C. I have issues about interpretation. I always second-guess and am unsure because of my complete fear of being wrong. D. Welcome to the preppy, christian, straight as an arrow capitol of the world. My home. For some reason a large majority of the people here feel the need to talk about this stuff in whispers. (I once heard a Wiccan asked if he went into the woods and sacrificed animals.... :p , although he was a "Goth" and perpetuated a very dark and unpleasant nature. Not to mention that he was intolerant and rude.)
Anyway, somewhere up there is a point. I think. Maybe?
Have a day! (A good one, preferably, but, ya know...)
 

MeeWah

As a reader & as a parent, I grappled with the issues of reading for the younger folk--their lives are in the formative stages & they are also very impressionable; does not take much for them to fixate on some idea & take it to the max. I chose to depend upon the impressions of the individual querent. Some have more maturity & insight than many adults I know; but they are older souls. The youngest I have read for was 9 (with her father's consent & he was in another room); however, most of the younger folk have been mid to late teens referred to me by my boys. I find the Hanson-Roberts & The Chinese Tarot to work well for them because they have the least threatening images.
 

fairyhedgehog

Have any of you used the 'inner child' cards for reading for young people? I have only seen them online, but they look very non-threatening.

Regards,

FH
 

tarotbear

I will not read for children, and do not like to read for teenagers, but have done it. Once I got hired to read at a medieval faire at a ivy league high school and it was o.k.- but they kept sending in the children of the teachers, and I just did not like reading for pre-teens.
 

raeanne

I don’t have any problems reading for children, even very young children. I do think it is important to be able to understand the issues that affect children. Losing a teddy bear, having a fight with a best friend, flunking a test, or requesting an extension of curfew time can all be major events to different ages of children. Tarot can be a great window into a child’s thoughts and feeling. Many young children have trouble expressing feelings. Allowing them to pick a card that shows how they feel can give them a different way to express themselves. I’m not a real lover of the Inner Child cards. My youngest son and I are both sensitive to bright colors, loud noises, and excessive motion. The colors on the Inner Child cards are just too bright and too intense. I like the Whimsical tarot much better. The colors are pastels and much easier to listen to.
 

fairyhedgehog

Hi raeanne,

I've just had a look at the whimsical tarot and I see what you mean :) It's given me a severe attack of the 'I-wants'.

All the best,

FH
 

Kiama

Zac (18 Oct, 2001 08:01):
I'm 16, very close to 17, one of those old for his years types. Anyway, I have problems reading for just about anyone, for a number of reasons. A. Adults don't take me seriously. They think I'm a kid playing a silly game.

D. Welcome to the preppy, christian, straight as an arrow capitol of the world. My home. For some reason a large majority of the people here feel the need to talk about this stuff in whispers. (I once heard a Wiccan asked if he went into the woods and sacrificed animals.... :p , although he was a "Goth" and perpetuated a very dark and unpleasant nature. Not to mention that he was intolerant and rude.)
Anyway, somewhere up there is a point. I think. Maybe?
Have a day! (A good one, preferably, but, ya know...)

Hmm.... I know what you mean about adults not taking you seriously. People who have never seen me before, or who do not know my age and I speak to on the net (Like people here!) usually are v.surprised when they find out I am 17, cuz I am older than my years. It's people like this who accept me as more than just a silly teenager going through a phase. Unfortuantely, when people meet me face to face, they don't take me seriously at all. They disregard the fact that I have been reading Tarot since the age of 9, and they disregard the fact that I am pretty intelligent, and not a 'silly teenager'. Ah well, such is life.

I also find your last 'D' section very easy to sympathise with! I have had people walk into a quiet room at school which I thought was not gonna be disturbed, when I'm doing a reading for one of my close friends, and then have a go at me telling me I shouldn't be doing such an evil thing in a 'Christian' school......

Anyway, my point is that maybe we need to look at a person's level of maturity instead of their age. Of course, that means we cannot read for someone until we know them quite well, so it's kinda difficult. But, there are many adults out there who have the spiritual and intellectual maturity of a 3 year old when it comes to things like Tarot and Wicca, etc. In just the same way, there are kids the age of 9 saving up all their money for months and months to buy their first deck, finding that deck changes their lives.....

Kiama
 

fairyhedgehog

Hi Kiama, Zac,

You are both about the same age as my older son. I must admit that as his mum I tend to forget how capable he has become, which annoys him terribly. But I am working on it. The trouble is, it doesn't seem so long ago (to me) that he was a child and I haven't kept pace with his growing which seems faster to me than it does to him :)

But my main point is that in general many adults do not seem to show young people and children the respect that they deserve. In fact, many young people are more capable in some areas than adults much older than them. Maybe some adults feel threatened by this? Perhaps it is easier to dismiss someone as 'too young' than to recognise that you have much to learn yourself.

I hope that I would be able to show you both the same respect face-to-face that I feel for you meeting in print like this :)

All the very best,

FH
 

scorpio

i know i have this backwards,but when my niece visits i make her read my cards she is only eleven and she is GOOD! i started her reading when she was eight and even though she doesnt see me but two to three times a year she is a natural with the cards. her mother wouldnt let her have a deck but as of recently she is living with my brother so ill get her cards for christmas. she is very perceptive with the cards but sometimes gets a little stuck. i think it helps with awareness of multiple possibilities and like kiama says maturity doesnt always correspond with age she is a pisces i think she is avery wise soul. lol
 

moon

I had my cards read once when I was 14. The reader took this sort of 'tough love' attitude. Really stuck it to me. Told me the cold, honest truth even though I didn't really want to hear it.

And honestly, I think it did me some good. You really can't make generalizations about teenagers. I was able to handle that reading, but it could have sent the next kid into a conniption fit, you know?

Naturally, you should tread lightly in the beginning. But sometimes teenagers need that kick in the ass from someone other than their parents in order to take it seriously :)

Blessings,
Jess