Readings for Children/Youth

[Dee 04]

Hi All!

On the old forum I asked about appropriate Tarot decks for children and many of you had great suggestions.


For those of you who read for young people....which is the youngest age you've read for? (I do not know if I'm making myself clear!) At what age do you think a young person can have their first reasding. I know that this may hve a lot to do with the parent but I wanna knwo what you guys think, maybe even some of you parents ( and non-parents)

 

[Logiatrix]

i've read for six different kids in the past two years. the youngest was six. i feel comfortable reading for a child as long as he or she is able to converse with a reasonable level of comprehension of such things as cause and effect. i believe the purpose of the reading is also an important consideration. with the six-year-old, for example, i let him use the cards to tell me about a situation at school that was troubling him. then i guided him in choosing other cards that expressed how he wanted the outcome to be.
when i did a reading for a twelve-year-old girl, i have to admit, i kind of embellished the whole thing. while i did read the cards straight, i also made it very serious and dramatic, because, well, she's a twelve-year-old girl! you only get that one time in your life when you're struggling between three different boyfriends in the seventh grade!
reading for kids is great...they are very pure with their belief and intuition. there are no rules or obstacles in spirit, no "blocks."

i'm going out to play now.

 

[StarShine]

Although I have never read for a child, I work in a long-term care facility specializing in mental retardation, and I spent an entire day dressed as a gypsy reading their cards. You must understand, these are people with mentalities of 5 year olds and up. They LOVED it! I had a room all fixed up with dim lights, incense, the whole nine yards. They even had to schedule appointments! Yes, I embellished quite a bit and made everything way dramatic for them, but they were some of the most incredible readings I have ever done! These child-like people have the openess of heart and true faith of a real child. I believe that is what made these readings so powerful. I only wish all adults came to my table with this kind of belief. It would make my role as a reader so much easier.

As a parent, I would read for my daughter in a heartbeat if she were to ever ask me. However, I would prefer to be consulted by any one else she were to ask. I would not have a problem with the actual reading, but I would want to get a sense of the reader. I know we don't like to face it, but there are some shady ones out there.

I don't know if you charge for your readings, but if you do, I would suggest getting permission from a parent for anyone under a certain age. (18 is legal in Indiana) This way you will avoid any nasty confrontations with an irate parent later. Just a suggestion.

 

[Major Tom]

This is strictly my humble opinion:

I won't read tarot for children until they reach adolescence. The reasons for this are that young children are in a constant state of flux and are entirely under the control of their parents. The on set of puberty is when children begin to rebel... I will however, do a reading for a parent about their child. }>

I am a parent and was naturally interested in reading for my own children when they were young. I invariably found the readings were more about how my partner and I were raising the children than about the children themselves.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kiama]

I am not a parent: Far away from that at the moment! (I hope!) But I do share a house with my parents and two smaller sisters, aged 8 and 9. The 9 year old, a couple fo years ago asked me to do a reading for her, and with Mum's permission I did one. But I found it was very difficult to get the concepts of Tarot across to her, cuz she has bascailly been conditioned by the school she goes to to think that Tarot is evil. For example, one day, she came home and sat down next to me, hugged me, and asked me if I was going to Hell! I asked her why she thought that, and apparently the school had given an assembly, and invited two Born Again Christians (No offense to any Christians or Catholics: I'm sure you guys aren't like these ones....) who basically told the kids that if they didn't worship Jesus and the Christian God, they were going to Hell, and that if they did anything that they thought was wrong, including going to a fortune teller, they would go to Hell..... (I know not all Christians are like this, and that most Christians are really great people, but, as with all other religions, tehre are always the odd few wh manage to spoil it for the others.)

So my sisters are very diffcult to read for, cuz, even though they are still young, they already have those mental blosk which the rest of the posters on this topic found to be non-existent .... I guess you guys are the lucky ones.

Because of this experience, I don't think I would do a reading for anyone until they reach the age of about 13 or 14. Mainly cuz at this age, there is something going on in their lives to consult the cards about, but also cuz this is the age where we begin to break away from perviosu thought patterns, and explore. I am not too far away from this age (17) so I definitely don't believe in not doing readings for people under the age of 18! (It just wouldn't make sense!)

Just my thoughts...

Kiama

 

[StarShine]

Kiama: When I commented about getting permission before reading for minors- I was thinking in regards to purchased readings. I do not see any thing wrong with giving a 15 year old a reading. Personally, I just would not feel comfy charging them without parental consent. When I said that I had never read for a child, I meant the single digit age groups. I do not consider teenagers "children". I am sorry if my post was not clear. Sometimes my fingers run faster than my mind! (I have that problem with my mouth as well). I hope this makes things a little clearer. If I offended anyone, I apologize. Certainly didn't mean to!

 

[MeeWah]

There was a discussion of this subject a while ago on the old Forums but I do not recall what conclusions, if any, were drawn.
I prefer not to read for those younger than teens because most are not mature enough nor cognizant of the concepts--albeit there are exceptions. Generally, they do not have the points of reference acquired from experience in the finite world to make comparisons or associations on the multi-layered levels. That's not to say they are unable to make value judgements, determine "right" from "wrong"--but a reading confers responsibility in a predominantly adult world.
During their formative years, children are in a state of constant transition; extremely impressionable & maleable. They are constantly absorbing what their environment produces on an unconscious & a conscious level, much as all people do; only they have likely not learned to edit or discard as those who are older or more sophisticated. The onset of puberty can occur as young as 9 or 10, which sets in motion more changes & disruptions to their sense of self, which is still forming. It can be difficult for an older person to assimilate the self, to engage the integration of the "whole" person; the process in a child is far more delicate!
Up until last year, the youngest person I'd read for was 16, & then I took into consideration the teenaged boy's circumstances. He was referred to me by one of my boys.
Last Summer, I agreed to do a short reading for a 9-year old girl whose family was in town visiting. Her father got a Tarot reading from me. She was not present during the session but she saw my Tarot cards & was immediately fascinated; begged for a reading. I explained to both it is not my policy to do readings for children & why. Her dad had some concern as to how she would receive a reading. I knew his daughter had some personal & family issues, some of which resulted from his remarriage. Her father & I had a brief discussion where I left the decision up to him as her parent. He decided that it could be a positive influence for her, to which I agreed as she did seem older than her years in some ways.

 

[Kiama]

I agree with Meewah that there are exceptions: There are defintely kids out there who are beyond their years. I came first to the Tarot when I was 9 years old, and I know there were some people in a post on the previous forums ho have introduced the Tarot to their children at very young ages. But there are very few kids like this, unless they have grown up with the Tarot ever-present in the family (Like with the mother), or are just very exploring and questioning of the things they are 'supposed' to do.... I remember as a kid those free 'fortune telling' games you got free with magasines: Me and my mates would sit there for hours wit hthem! At that age, most kids are fascintated by this stuff, even though the Tarot is more of a counselling tool mostly than a fortune tellig tool, but kids don't see it like that...

Of course, the worst case scenario would be to read for a, say, 11 year old, with the Death card, Devil, Hanged Man, and 10 of Swords come up! Explaining some of the hidden concepts within those cards, and how they may pertain to the life of an 11 year old (Whihc, for most 11 year olds, is just boys/girls, music, shopping, fun, and homework, with some hobbies and family members on the side)....

Kiama

 

[EveAnna]

I wouldn't read for a younger child but a teen, if they asked me to, I would. My son is a little young to even begin to understand the tarot so I won't read for him until he asks.

 

[tarotbear]

I don't read for pre-adolescents; this does not mean that little kids cannot be interested in Tarot, but I will not read for them. One, since little kids still have no concept of what is reality (superheroes are real, the monster that lives under the bed and eats your toesnail clippings, etc.) that dealing up a bunch of cards to tell them their 'fututre' is not what I'm about to do for them. Teenagers have many problems with peer pressure, drugs, sex - they can use the Tarot to help them get their heads together, but a small child would be better off with a childhood counselor rather than a Tarot reading.