How Did you Feel Being Raised as a Jehovah's Witness?

flipper

Quite a thought, huh? I was raised from birth as my family was in it 7 years before I was born ( 1952). I remember wanting to go out for school sports in high school as my P.E. teacher wanted me to play baseball as a freshman, but having to tell him, sorry my parents won't allow it, they have me occupied with other things. Then in elementary school having to lead the flag salute but keep my arms to my side, pretty humiliating stuff. Then not being able to pursue further education in spite of a high grade point average, but being told you should pioneer out of school or go to Bethel. I was never much into institution life, too independent, unlike my older brother who went to Bethel, so I decided to marry young at 19 because it was essentially the only "legal" way to have sex! Until I got out from the cult at age 43, for years I tried to live up to my Dad's "legacy" him being an elder since 1953, and my older brothers(ex-bethelite), older sister (ex missionary). I put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to an imagined standard to be "accepted" by my family as the "youngest" child. Finally after so many years of treading water, I had to get out. Saw the hypocrisy in Elders ways of dealing inhumanely with people and left. I've never been happier. I am now trying to help my son get through a university, which gives me a lot of satisfaction that the org. couldn't keep some of us down anyway!Here's to helping our children eventually see the light and escape the cult! I still have hope for my 2 young adult daughters 20 and 19 that they'll get out. Someday. How have the rest of you felt being raised in this? Wistful like me? About missed opportunities? Am I alone in this? Please share. Peace to you all, Mr. Flipper

hilannj

When I was in it I rarely felt as if I had missed out. I had myself convinced that I really did get as many gifts as everyone else, looking back I really don't think that it was true but I believed it at the time. I really wanted to be in Track and Field events and that was the only thing that I really wanted to do but I didn't bother asking cause I knew the answer. But I quit when I was 17 and I am going to college now, I am so glad. My mom went to college before she became a witless, so I always planed to go to college no matter what anyone said.

ex-nj-jw

Mr. Flipper,

I also was raised JW. My parents and 1 uncle and his family were the only JW's in my whole family. But we never associated with them, you know worldly!

Anyway, I don't ever remember a time that I willingly did any JW, stuff. It was rammed down my throat until the day I left home! I was always a rebel. When was in the 10th and 11th grade I went out for the marching band, yeah I was a band geek, twirled the hell out of a flag though. I hid it from my parents for as long as I could, then they when the found out they made me quit.

I remember my first day of kindergarten, my mom told me not to stand or say the pledge. The first person I met is still my best friend! I said the pledge from the first day of school! The only thing that bothered me was that i couldn't share my acheivements with my parents, I had to hide everything I did or did well in. Even getting good grades were not important to them. Bringing home an A was the same as bringing home a D. As long as you passed on to the next grade. It's a wonder I made it through high school not to mention nursing and radiology school.

On my high school graduation, my parents didn't come because they had an assembly to attend. So they left me home to go alone. I did what I always did, went with my best friend and her family after graduation we went to dinner!

Ok, enough of my sob story!

nj

mimimimi

Yes, quite wistful, just like you. And sad over the missed opportunities. I always felt so different from everyone else at school. I wanted to go to college really, really bad, and of course could not. One of the guidance counselors talked to me about college and I had to tell her that my religion frowned on higher education. I was inducted into the National Honor Society, but my mother had to look long and hard to make sure there was nothing wrong with a J-Dub being in the National Honor Society before she would permit it. I remember being scared to death that she would not let me.

In high school, I took mostly classes that would help me get an office job, though I really wanted to take the college prep classes instead. But I knew where my future lie and there was no fighting it. My senior year, I was in Office Occupations, so I actually worked in an office half a day, which I really enjoyed. There was a dinner my work had that I was invited to and I really wanted to go. But ...........it was on a meeting night and my righteous mother would not allow me to miss the meeting for the dinner. I hated that. My boss got corsages for all the Office Occupations girls working for her to wear to the dinner and she got me one, too, even though she knew I could not go.

I was put in a college prep English class my senior year, which I was very proud of. Not many kids were accepted into that class and it was really an honor. I was getting all kinds of literature mailed to me from different colleges. I would keep all of it and just pore over it. Later on when I lived on my own and had left the "troof", I did go to night school at the local community college, but I was never able to finish. I worked full-time and then became an unwed mother and just felt I had too many responsibilities to continue. In later years, after I was married, I did attend a class here and there to further what I wanted to do career-wise, but never actually got a degree. I always felt like I really missed out. I have thought that once I retire, I may go back to school then.

I was born in 1952 also. My father was not a witness, but my mother definitely wore the pants in the family and made the decisions, and always based those decisions on her religion, which she shoved down our throats. Family Bible studies were like a punishment, and of course, we had to read the daily "hex" every day as a family. She never knew I referred to it as that or I would have been in lots of trouble. I still laugh about the daily "hex".

But life does go on. I wish things had been different back then, but overall my life has been good. At least my kids have had the opportunities that I did not.

keyser soze

The worst thing for me was being viewed as differen't by the other kids every time there was a birthday or a holiday and I wasn't able to participate. I also remember the looks I got when I refused to say the pledge of allegiance. Every time I ran into a kid from school out in the ministry I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I wanted to play football in the worst way, but I knew that was out of the question. I remember what it was like having to explain to the sports coaches why I couldn't go out, and also having to explain to the guidance counselor why I wasn't going on to college, despite my good grades. When they say your high school years are the best years of your life, they are clearly not talking about a JW.

changeling

IT SUCKED!!!!!!

R.F.

I felt like an outcast most of the time. I had to pass on so many potential friends simply because of the fact they weren't Witnesses. It sucked having to be checked out of school everytime there was a school party such as for Christmas. In junior high I could never go to school basketball or football games because they were always on meeting nights. And don't let me mention extracurricular activities such as the different school clubs....i had to forget it before I even considered joining one.

R.F.

sandy

Thinking that the "end of the system" is "just around the corner" from the time I could form a thought instilled absolutely no ambition in me. I finished High School in 1994 and never even applied to college. School was never important . .. I didn't even take the SAT I'd always said I'd pioneer and find a part time job after HS but by then I knew I didn't want to pioneer.

I was 18 yrs old and had freedom I'd never new before. I was finally unshackled from school and I moved out of my parents home and in with my sister. I wanted to go out and party with friends and date. So that is what I did . . . Never anything that wild but I had some fun times. Unfortunately it took about eight years of working low paying jobs and weekend partying (Ok, sometimes weekday partying to ) before I realized College would have been a better route to take. I've wasted so much time. HUGE REGRET! Even though I've been in active for so many years I was still controlled to a certain degree by the WT. Through these years I took community college courses to help me with jobs but I am still far behind many people my age.

So even though I don't dwell on it (because I know that now the choice is mine to cont. my education or not) I do feel cheated. The WT org. controlled my mind, suppressed my talents and ambition.

OUTLAW

Flipper..Most Dub kids I know hated it..Our idiot parents have no idea what we went through.....My mom once said smuggly:"I`m sorry you don`t like the way you were raised."..My reply:"So am I."...OUTLAW

sandy

Sorry. I thought the question was How do you fell about being raised a JW?

LOL See how not going to college affected me?

How Did you Feel Being Raised as a Jehovah's Witness?

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