So, I started messing around with tarot cards for parenting stuff. Sounds a bit out there, right? Yeah, I thought so too at first. It wasn’t like I was looking for magic answers or trying to predict my kid’s future college major or anything.
Honestly, I was just feeling stuck. You know how it is. Some days parenting feels like you’re just guessing, throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. I was tired, often confused about whether I was doing the right thing, especially during those tricky toddler phases or when dealing with big emotions I didn’t always understand.
Getting Started with It
I already had an old tarot deck lying around, one I’d bought years ago out of curiosity and barely touched. So, one particularly frustrating evening, after another meltdown (mine or the kid’s, I can’t remember), I just pulled it out. I didn’t do some fancy spread or anything. I just thought about the situation, shuffled the cards, and pulled one. Just one.
I looked at the picture and the name. I didn’t really know the “official” meanings back then. I just looked at the image and thought, “What does this make me think about the situation?” Sometimes it was obvious, sometimes it made no sense at all initially.
I decided to make it a small, private ritual. Not every day, but maybe once or twice a week, or when I felt particularly lost about a parenting challenge. Here’s kinda what I did:
- Find a quiet moment: Usually after the kids were asleep, or early morning. Just 5 minutes.
- Think of the issue: Not like “Will my kid stop hitting?” but more like “How can I better understand why this is happening?” or “What energy do I need to bring to this situation?”
- Shuffle and pull a card: No pressure, just whatever felt right.
- Look and reflect: Forget the little white book for a minute. What did the image itself spark in my mind related to my question? Did it show conflict? Calm? A need for patience? A need for boundaries?
- Maybe check the meaning later: Sometimes I’d look up a simple meaning online or in a book afterwards, just to see if it added another layer. But I tried not to let that override my initial gut feeling.
What Actually Happened
Okay, so here’s the real talk. It wasn’t like the cards gave me a step-by-step instruction manual for raising perfect kids. That’s not what happened at all. If anything, it was more about me than the kids.
Pulling a card forced me to stop reacting for a minute and actually think. It kind of broke the cycle of frustration. Looking at an image, like the Temperance card, might remind me to seek balance and patience when I was feeling totally overwhelmed. Or pulling the Strength card wasn’t about overpowering my kid, but finding my own inner strength and compassion.
It became a tool for self-reflection. The cards acted like prompts, like journal questions almost. They helped me see situations from a slightly different angle. Sometimes it confirmed what I already suspected I needed to do (like set clearer boundaries). Other times, it challenged me to think about my own role in the dynamic.
It definitely didn’t stop the tantrums or magically make potty training easier. But I did feel like I approached things with a bit more intention, maybe a little less knee-jerk reacting. It helped me check in with myself – am I being patient? Am I being clear? Am I listening?
So, Do I Recommend It?
Look, it’s not for everyone. If you think it’s nonsense, it probably will be for you. For me, it wasn’t about fortune-telling. It was about mindfulness. It was a weird little way to pause, reflect, and get some perspective when I was feeling lost in the weeds of daily parenting.
It’s just another tool in the toolbox. Some people meditate, some journal, some talk to friends. I found that pulling a tarot card now and then gave me a useful nudge to think differently. It’s simple, quick, and private. Didn’t fix everything, but it helped me navigate things a bit better by focusing my thoughts. Just my experience, anyway.
