Mountains out of Molehills--JW Parents!!!

LDH

In view of the mood on the board today, I'll try to make at least some of you laugh with a memory I had this morning.....

I'm driving the kid to school, and she sees a vanity plate that says "JERICHO." "Mom, was Jericho a person or a place?"

WHAM! Unsolicited memory time!

After I answered her, I remembered being in the 5th or 6th grade, and being a Chorus member. Now, that was crazy enough for a JW kid, since we couldn't sing like 75% of the songs! (Christmas, Patriotic, etc). Imagine how happy I was to have won the Solo on that old song 'Joshua fought the battle of Jericho.'

(Now that I think about it, I think it was the teacher's way of making me feel special enough to have a song I could really belt it on that wouldn't offend my religion...)

Anyhow, while rehearsing for the Spring concert, my mom stopped me from singing it! I was like, "What's up Mom?" Her answer to me was, "That is a worldly song, and you can't sing it. Joshua didn't fight the battle of Jericho, JEHOVAH fought the battle of Jericho!"

After much protest, it was decided that I could only sing the song if I changed the lyrics to "Jehovah fought the ...."

I never had the balls to tell my chorus teacher, and I didn't show up for the performance, either. Too embarrassed. I think we went out in evening door to door sales, instead.

Thought you all would enjoy a wacky look back.

Lisa

bboyneko

Lisa, no offense but that wasn't funny that was

AMarie

Lisa:

That is funny, but sad at the same time. You must have been mortified! I also had something similar to that happen with me.

When I was in the fourth grade, I had a falling out with my best friend at that time. Our silly little fight lasted for weeks until we decided to meet on the playground to kick each others asses. Of course you know how kids are. We had a huge group around us chanting "fight, fight, fight". Fortunately, the teacher broke it up before anything happened. My 8 year old sister was a witness to this event and told our mother about it when she got home from work.

What did mom do? She pulled out the bible and showed me some scripture about violence and how it is wrong. Then she made me take the bible to school with me, so that if anybody tried to pressure me into fighting I could quote that scripture to them. That's a sure way of getting your ass kicked.

openminded

My folks were the same way. Now that I am grown, I can hardly stand em. It was abuse in my opinion.

LDH

Dan,

I was thinking that they, like most JW parents, 'strain out the gnat and gulp down the camel!"

AMarie,

Your story made me laugh. And it actually reminded me of another of my stories. In sixth grade I managed to be best friends with Cathy C. (one of the 'beautiful people,' she was popular even though stupid). She called me at home one day to tell me about her 'boy troubles.' You know, the sixth grade problems. "He doesn't know I'm alive!"

My dad listened in on the conversation (she didn't know he was on the other phone, and neither did I.) After we hung up, my dad made me pull out the pink "Youth" book and call her back and tell her the Bible's stand on dating! I actually had to Witness to her over the phone and read scriptures!

I was truly mortified. He stood right there while I did it. Cathy didn't understand what the hell I was talking about, so she was like, whatever.

After that, she didn't speak to me anymore. I found out later that her parents were offended that I was 'witlessing' to her. The beginning of the end of my popularity.......

Lisa

ps Openminded, in the words of Ray Franz, "we are victims of victims."

FormerOne

I still remember getting "counseled" by my mother when she overheard me whistling an old patriotic song ("Over There" for those of you who might remember that one).

Oh, if she could here me now helping my daughter learn the "Star Spangled Banner"!

Makena1

The last "spanking" I ever received from my father was when I was 13. The offense - "going bowling with some of the other brothers". Apparently when he was a youngster he went to a bowling alley and something bad happened - mind you he never told what that bad thing was - but whatever happened was enough to lump bowling in with smoking etc. (My wife Sabine calls bowling a gutter sport...she does not spank me when I go bowling however...)

I thought it was unreasonable and went anyway. True to his word, I got a mild spanking. I think this was a turning point in my life - started thinking on my own what was reasonable and what was not.

Playing with school mates, except those in the immediate neighborhood was restrictive too. The deal was that IF I would also try and conduct a bible study with them for a portion of the time, then it was OK. Amazingly, the parents of my friends were not too keen on that idea! :)

Makena

openminded

You know what the saddest thing is about these wacko parents; is that they totally feel like what they are doing is loving and right.

I know I am probably opening a can of worms here but I really wish someone would have stepped in and taken legal action on my behalf(rescued me).

I mean come on! There are Jdub parents who to this day are keeping kids out of choir, sports, and band in the name of God and LOVE - poor kids are gettin the shaft just for the sake of being different. What a crock!

LDH

Open,

I do quite agree with you. When I'm at my daughter's school I make it a point to find out which kids are JW and plant my own seeds. Maybe not the cleanest form of welfare, but hey, they do it too. They will try to convert kids at the door. So I just do it in reverse.

A few weeks ago my father informed me that I 'gave up too quickly". (I guess thirty years wasn't long enough.) I stopped him dead in his tracks by telling him to mind his own business. I told him, What you asked us to do as CHILDREN you never had to do so please stop giving me smack because I don't want my kids growing up like us.

Amazingly, he agreed and dropped the subject.

This is a good topic, I hope there's a lot of lurkers reading.

Joel, where's your input?

Lisa

openminded

I cannot put into words how shitty my childhood was. I was denied an identity. I was THE best athlete in my small school and had to watch the football team walk past my house every day, to the practice field in the late summer. I would go out in the garage and fight back tears. Deep down I knew I was getting the shaft. Nobody understood my pain. I still carry it.

Mountains out of Molehills--JW Parents!!!

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