From: mimir@hardy.u.washington.edu (Al Billings)
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
Subject: Re: Mikey
Date: 16 Nov 92 21:05:51 GMT
Organization: The Friends of Loki Society

In article <1992Nov16.202843.22410@u.washington.edu> mkkuhner@phylo.genetics.washington.edu (Mary K. Kuhner) writes:
>
>I wanted to share a heartwarming experience from the Community Full Moon
>celebration last night.

 I was one of the ritualists and I wanted to give my impression (and point
out that many others there felt sinilarily).

>The ritual was quite late in getting started, and I was sitting on the
>floor listening to people chat when a little boy, maybe 5 years old, ran
>over to me and sat down on my lap.  "What's your name?" he said and put
>his arms around me.
>
>I was quite startled; I told him my name, and asked him his.  "Mikey!"
>he said with a big grin, and ran off to hug someone else.  As it turned
>out, the ritual was about 45 minutes late, and during that time
>practically everyone in the room got to play with Mikey.  It turned out
>he liked to play tag, and to be swung or spun around in the air.  He'd
>come up between two people who were talking and take their hands, and
>expect them to swing him up in the air.  After about the fourth time,
>when my arms were beginning to get tired, I told him he was a pig.
>After that when he swung he'd go "oink, oink!" with great delight.

 The ritual wasn't 45 minutes late. There was a workshop before it that
started about 15 minutes late or so, mostly because this child you
lovingly refer to was getting in the way and distracting the person who
was going to run the workshop as well as the rest of us trying to set up.
The funny thing was, his mother was there but, as usual, didn't watch her
child at all. In fact, for a good hour she ignored him and, as usual,
others had to keep him out of trouble for her.


>Once in a while he'd become frightened or dizzy from being swung, and
>run back to cuddle with his mother (one of the Elders of the community)
>for a few minutes.

 This is about the only time she ever bothered to notice his existance and
he would stay for only a few seconds. The only time he stayed longer was
when I and others told him to go be with her and let us get ready.

>When we practiced square dancing he was right in there dancing with
>us--underfoot, and rather a hazard, but obviously enjoying every moment
>of it.  He also sat through the ritual very nicely, carrying his
>cup of cider with obvious care, and helped pick up the used cups
>afterwards.

 He is always a hazard.

>I've never met such a wonderful child, and I have to say--if the
>pagan community can raise children like Mikey, and treat them so
>well they retain that trust and love, there's hope for us yet.

 I am not joking and am VERY serious that in the opinion of quite a few
people in the local community, if there are more children like Mikey, I
and they wouldn't go to events. That child is the most spoiled kid I have
ever met and his mother allows him to throw tantrums and annoy groups of
people and seems to like farming off responsibility for him to others. He
is quite spoiled and I don't mean in a positive manner. I spent an entire
Samhain party keeping him from damaging objects and disrupting the
activities going on. As a ritualist, I don't appreciate screaming spoiled
children (ignored by their parents the whole time!) running around the
ritual site, getting underfoot, and interfering with the activites as well
as destroying the ritual mindset. I am not joking. People on usenet are
going to get the impression from your post that he is a wonderful child
when, in fact, he is the worst behaved child I have ever seen and I have
little siblings and I used to babysit when I was a teenager. The so called
Elder is also one of the worst parents I have ever seen.

Wassail,
Al