I heard something similar at pioneer school as well, though I don't have children. It's a long time since I went to pioneer school, but I seem to remember the guy giving the advice, saying kids having constant bathroom breaks disrupted the meeting for other people, so it would be "loving" for parents of young children to take steps to limit their visits. I can't remember hearing anything like that from the platform though.
Were you a bathroom breaker?
by Mysterious 50 Replies latest jw friends
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Gill
In the congregation where I grew up there were many, many children. Some families had five or six children. Obviously, children NEED to go to the toilet, whether you like it or not.
There were regular items on Thursday, 'local needs' on not allowing bathroom breaks for children. Only some of fanatical parents enforced this. My mother used to reel of and criticise the 'offending' parents regularly!
The WTBTS is ruled mainly by childless, immature, indoctrinated JWs. The spiritual garbage they spout is more important to them than anything else. You can't change their foolish way. You just have to ignore them, side step them, and get on with your own life....remembering they have NO power over you. For a young child, with fanatical parents, that can be a near impossible thing to do.
Personal needs count for nothing in the WTBTS.
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blondie
Yes, the WTS is obsessed with people going too often and at the wrong time.
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km 1/01 p. 1 par. 3 Be a Good Listener ***Unnecessary trips to the restroom also interfere with their listening. Since "foolishness is tied up with the heart of a boy," parents should put forth earnest effort to see that their children sit still and listen at meetings.
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km 5/00 p. 5 par. 4 Be Attentive to Sacred Pronouncements ***Parents, arrange for your entire family to sit together—teenagers included. Some parents wait until the opening song to take their young ones to the rest room. However, this would hardly teach children the great importance of songs and prayers in our worship. How much better it is to care for restroom needs before the start of each session if at all possible!
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km 5/83 p. 4 1983 "Kingdom Unity" District Convention ***Children can be trained to sit still at home and also through congregation meetings without needlessly going to the restroom.
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km 5/81 p. 4 1981 "Kingdom Loyalty" District Conventions ***One parent wrote this experience to the Society: "My children and I sat by a mother and her four children. They were well behaved but ate continually throughout the whole session. It was very distracting to other adults and children sitting nearby. This family also drank a lot of liquids, which necessitated their making several trips to the restrooms." Certainly we do not want to be going in and out or eating during the program and distracting others from giving their undivided attention to what is being said.
*** km 9/81 p. 4 par. 4 Training Children in the Way of Life ***
In order to find an excuse to move around, children occasionally get into the habit of running to the restroom a number of times during the meeting, causing considerable disturbance to others. Yet these same children can play for hours at a time without experiencing any such problem. If parents insist that each of their children use the restroom before the meeting begins, there is usually no real need for them to disturb the meeting a short while later.
*** km 5/01 p. 5 par. 7 "Listen and Take In More Instruction" ***
Christian love will move us to avoid disturbing others while the program is in progress. (1 Cor. 13:5) This is "a time to keep quiet" and listen. (Eccl. 3:7) Therefore, avoid unnecessary talking and moving about. Minimize trips to the rest room by planning ahead. Do not eat or drink until the designated time, unless serious health factors are involved.
*** km 8/01 p. 3 par. 9 Good Manners—A Trait of Godly People ***
It would certainly demonstrate very poor manners on our part if we were to doze off, noisily chew gum, repeatedly whisper to someone sitting nearby, make unnecessary trips to the rest room, read unrelated material, or attend to other things during the meeting.
*** km 5/00 p. 5 par. 4 Be Attentive to Sacred Pronouncements ***
Some parents wait until the opening song to take their young ones to the rest room. However, this would hardly teach children the great importance of songs and prayers in our worship. How much better it is to care for restroom needs before the start of each session if at all possible!
*** km 1/98 p. 1 par. 3 Show Respect for Jehovah’s Place of Worship ***How to Avoid Being Disrespectful: Appreciating the dignity and sacredness of our worship, undoubtedly we would not want to distract others by whispering, eating, chewing gum, rustling papers, making unnecessary trips to the rest room, or habitually arriving late for meetings.
*** km 4/98 p. 7 Question Box ***Avoid distractions. We may listen better when we sit up front. Whispering and trips to the rest room can cause us and others to lose concentration.
*** km 5/97 p. 3 par. 8 1997 "Faith in God’s Word" District Convention ***
It also seems that when some children get restless, they often ask to use the rest room as an excuse to get up and walk around. Proper training at home will usually make frequent trips to the rest room unnecessary.
*** km 11/95 p. 2 par. 4 Behave in a Manner Worthy of the Good News ***
Whispering, eating, chewing gum, rattling papers, and making unnecessary trips to the rest room may interfere with the concentration of others and detract from the dignity due Jehovah’s place of worship
*** km 12/94 p. 1 par. 4 Show Appreciation for God’s House ***
Frequent and unnecessary trips to the rest room or water fountain during the meeting are usually reduced when the child knows that one of his parents will always accompany him.
*** km 2/88 p. 7 par. 5 Make Meetings More Instructive ***
Getting up unnecessarily to go to the rest room or the water fountain will also interfere with our getting the most from the meetings and will distract others as well.
*** km 5/87 p. 5 par. 23 1987 "Trust in Jehovah" District Convention ***
If you have to leave your seat to use the rest room or to take your children there, the loving thing would be to return to your seat as quickly as possible without visiting in the corridors.
*** km 5/86 p. 4 par. 13 1986 "Divine Peace" District Convention ***
As stated earlier, we will not want to distract others by talking, moving about, or unnecessarily using the rest rooms while the program is in progress.
*** km 7/86 p. 3 par. 4 Not Neglecting the House of Our God ***
Whispering, eating, chewing and snapping gum, rattling candy wrappers, making unnecessary trips to the rest room, and habitually arriving late all interfere with others’ concentration and detract from the dignity due Jehovah’s place of worship.
*** km 9/82 p. 2 Meetings to Help Us Make Disciples ***
Christian manners rule out talking while the meeting is in progress, arriving late for meetings or allowing children to interrupt the meeting by frequent and unnecessary trips to the rest room or by their running at any time in the Kingdom Hall.
*** km 7/78 p. 3 par. 4 "Let All Things Take Place Decently" ***
It has been found that many children are permitted to make frequent trips to the rest room or drinking fountain during the meetings. One congregation count revealed that 40 of the 120 persons in attendance left the meeting to go to the rest room or drinking fountain
*** km 5/76 p. 3 How Do You View Your Kingdom Hall? ***
Unnecessary trips to the rest rooms or playing before or after meetings should be discouraged. Disorderly children when "let on the loose" cause shame.
*** km 5/76 p. 3 How Do You View Your Kingdom Hall? ***
Unnecessary trips to the rest rooms or playing before or after meetings should be discouraged. Disorderly children when "let on the loose" cause shame. (Prov. 29:15) When elders speak to you about these matters, be responsive and thankful, as they are interested in keeping the Kingdom Hall fully representative of Jehovah’s pure worship in the community.
*** km 2/73 p. 2 Your Service Meetings ***
Unnecessary trips to rest room while meeting is on can be disturbing to others as well as causing one to miss part of the program. Encourage to go to rest room before meeting starts.
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lovelylil
Gill,
I feel bad for you. There were many who told me not to give my kids water. We would be out in FS in 90 plus degrees walking around and my kids are on medication that makes them more thirsty. Anyway, I told the group it was too bad for them if we have to stop because my kids have to be taken care of and Jehovah would agree with me!
But, I know what you mean, some were absolute nuts........apply all the FDS said to the letter...Lilly
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chuckie77
This thread is hilarious... I had completely forgotten about getting councelled about going to the bathroom during meetings... What a joke!!! Maybe if the meetings werent so damn boring people wouldnt look for things to do apart from sit there and listen. Why didnt the JWs ever think that???
Im turning all bitter about things from being on this board... I like it!
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Sailor Ripley
This whole thread makes me want to go to the can... because I remember that all that time spent on worrying whether someone missed one morsel of Jehobees love. I can see how it would stress a kid out. I guess I just didn't give a flip enough to worry.
The funniest thing about this, for me, is I remember hearing some mother holler at her kids about this at a Big Assembly in Dallas, not the little one, whatever it was called. I remember because the next day my old man, non-JW snuck me out of the hotel on Saturday morning and took me to the Texxas Jam '82 to see the following.
Best break I've ever had. -
TopHat
Don't the WTS get the HINT? The meetings are so boring that even adults have to take a break to the bathroom.
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Gill
Sailor Ripley - You had a COOL dad!!
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juni
Good for your Dad SailorRipley.
I remember those days unfortunately. Thanks Blondie for the "facts" so that others not familiar w/this policy will know we're not exaggerating!
Long time back they had an "Intermission" before the WT study. I think they stopped that because the lines were long and people wouldn't get back in time for the song. Boo hoo.
Like I've said over and over, this organization knows nothing about raising kids in the REAL WORLD. They expect them to be little adults.
And for Gill, I'm so sorry to hear of the problems this policy caused you. I remember too about the rationing of water.
Juni
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RichieRich
yeah, so you couldn't your kids couldn't go to the bathroom, because it would distract them and others.
But right here is your proof that Jehovah and his organization is loving, caring, and moving towards the light:
If your kid needs a spanking, you are more than welcome to just grab their little ass, and drag them to the back of the hall, take them in some room tha butts up right next to the auditorium, and beat the shit out of them, the whole time with them crying, screaming, and carrying on.
I remember how I would feel when I would hear one of my friends crying, then I'd look up at my mom, see a big smile on her face, and see a huge smile on all the other parents faces.
My mother was often a little too lazy to drag me back, she'd pinch the inside of my legs, one time, she pinched off skin, and I bled havily on the seat, then got spanked for not stopping the bleeding.
To this day, the one thing that will make me go ape ass crazy is to see a parent beating on their child without mercy.