JW spanking their kids

by asilentone 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  jwfacts

  It is illegal in NSW Aust to spank your children, and there was a sister that was reported for spanking a child in a supermarket. The conversation in the congregation was how terrible the world was because it does not follow the advice of Proverbs that (Proverbs 13:24) . . .The one holding back his rod is hating his son, but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline. . . It was also said that Australia did not deserve to call itself Christian if it made using the rod illegal.

  I remember on one occassion in Hobart congregation the Watchtower conductor stepped off the stage and beat his daughter for fidgetting in front of everyone - she was the same age as me and so I was quite terrified by it. It was not a great surprise that this girl developed anorexia, and I am quite surprised that she is still a JW.
• 

  mrsjones5

  The sad thing about the spanking of the kids at the hall is that is the jws fault...they put their children in an impossible situation, sitting still and quiet for 1 to 2 hours, which most children under a certain age, say 0 to 11 or older, can't do.

  I have an autistic child who cannot sit still for more than a few seconds. We used to attend a church on Wednesday nights for dinner and a sermon. They had a children's ministry (childcare) during the sermon and I would leave my kids in there, especially my autistic child - who highly enjoyed it. Well during the weeks of Lent before Easter the church decided to cut out the children's ministry and combine it with the sermon that the adults attended...one big happy family. We stopped going because we knew there was no way that my son would be able to handle it.

  Now if a jw had my son, how do you think they would handle him? Beat the living daylights out of him?
• 

  The Doc 58

  Nice points WTWIZARD, I taught public school for seven years and any attempt at interesting or entertaining learning was stiffled by administration. The last school I taught at was all about submission to authority, nothing else. Imagine making twelve year old kids walk in lines and remain absolutely silent for seven hours, including lunch. I addressed these issues with the head principal and she did nothing, so one day I just walked out.

  As far as spanking at the hall, I had a few of those myself. In fact it is sometimes a topic for discussion with my therapist.
• 

  Casper

  While I agree that smacking a child ANYWHERE could possibly be the wrong decision...When it happens at the hall it's usually out of embarrassment, and peer pressure

  I agree with the above. I am guilty of spanking, because the PO would turn and look at me and motion his head towards the bathroom. I would take my baby there and I felt like he was listening for the swat and cry.........DAMN...... can't believe I was ever so stupid to bow down to such....

  Never Again...!!

  Cas

  Edited to add : Welcome Asilentone... Hope to hear more about you.
• 

  heyfea

  A lot ot times we see kids acting up, really badly, yelling, answering back, kicking and hitting at the parents. Immediately we think that they need a spanking, but the sad truth is that those kids misbehave like that because in the very beginning when they showed signs of rebellion, they were not corrected. All they needed was a strong voice to tell them off.

  When it comes to the kh, I think it is ridiculous to spank kids who don't stay still in their seats paying attention. How can they pay attention to something as boring as the meetings (because it is boring even for grownups). Didn't they WTS ever think of having a separate meeting for children? It's such a simple thing to do, not to mention beneficial for the kids and parents.

  Heyfea
• 

  yknot

  The only spankers we have are converts. Once one of us born/raised hears about spanking we usually make a point in the next conversation with the spanking parent that it is impossible and unrealistic to expect younger children to sit through any meetings. In fact many parents at my KH even bring their kids in PJs to the evening meetings, or only stay 30 minutes or spouses take turns going to meeting solo while the other keeps the kids on regular sleeping schedules. Wow now that I typed this out I see how flippant us born/raised have become toward meetings in general. Yea Armageddon is coming.......(but Tribulation has to occur first)
• 

  potentialJWconvertswife

  WT has a lot of great points, especially about the public school system. When my child was in first grade they tried to tell me he was adhd. I had him tested and he wasn't- he was just a very bright kid who was able to "get" stuff easily, so once he got it he was at loose ends and wanted to play. I have to agree with Passive and Timbob- there is a time and place for spanking. It's not ever to be done in anger. Times when I knew I was too angry I did not spank, but stepped back from the situation. My son never got into ANY major trouble, he's now 19. There are too many kids that have no discipline at ll and they're the ones that you see running amok. Mom and Dad say "don't do that", but when the behavior continues they ignore it or make empty threats that are never followed through with. I NEVER spanked my kid in public, however. That is more than a punishment- it's humiliation. -Potential
• 

  mamochan13

  WTW makes some very good observations. As a born-in JW, I spanked my kids, unfortunately, but I never had to at the hall - they were well behaved there. Now that I've learned a lot more about child development and behaviour, I approach my grandchildren very differently. I'd never ever spank them. Instead I try to understand why they are behaving as they are, and address it from that point. There were many JWs I'd observe punishing their children for the benefit of others. One elder would make a big deal of taking his little guy (about 2 years old at the time) into the bedroom after every book study, where he would loudly beat him and force him to hold his head down because the child hadn't stayed perfectly still during the prayer. It seemed clear that this was done as a display for everyone else of what a "good parent" should be. What a jerk.
• 

  sweetface2233

  I was spanked/smacked a lot growing up, and I mean A LOT. Whether it was at home, the KH, the grocery store, or wherever, I never felt abused or harshly punished. In fact, when I got to a certain age, I would ask for spankings over having my TV time taken away.
• 

  kurtbethel

  We have a Biblical example of how to dispatch so called parents who beat on their child.
  
  Moses came upon an Egyptian beating on an Israelite, you see, and then he took appropriate action.