I came across the following as a topic at another discussion board I read. It doesn't really have anything to do with Jehovah's Witnesses, but I did extract this JW comparison from it:
Beyond the beauty of humble, caring, good parenting, it struck me that this is what real repentance is all about; it isn't confessing some "sin" (that probably doesn't affect anyone else all that negatively anyway) like smoking or masturbating or anything else for that matter, to elders or a congregation or even a god. Real, meaningful repentance is feeling sorry, on a personal, gut level, for your course, because it really is affecting someone else (or even yourself) negatively, and determining to change course for the sake of that other person(s) or your own personal sense of what is right.
When this guy wrote this he wasn't repenting, he was just sharing. The repenting happened when he had the epiphany about his actions, and felt sorry about them and determined to change for his son's well-being.
_________________________________________________________________
Edited on Sun Apr-06-08 09:53 AM by El Pinko I have 2 sons. One is 8 - he's athletic, quick in mind and body, a self-starter, well-liked by all. He certainly gets his share of praise, and it's well-deserved.
My older son is 10. My older son is also bright, but not as interested in sports (he just started taking swimming). He's a bit on the lethargic side - likes to loll about the living room carpet - he'll get glued to the TV if we let him (we try not to).
He's a little eccentric - he has an unconventional imagination and a rather odd sense of humor - unfortunately it's not all that funny to others. Not offensive, just annoying.
He's of normal, possible higher than normal intelligence. He just happens to go at a slightly slower pace and likes to spend a lot of time in imagination-land
He does well in language courses, but is way behind in math and has started with a tutor twice a week. He likes to sit down and type unusual stories on his old iMac. He draws - all the time. He used to be pretty good at it when he was little. He's still okay, but the pictures he draws are about like what he did 3 or 4 years ago - but they're pretty good and he is creative.
He wanted to use it to take some. "Don't break it." my wife says (he's rather clumsy, and even at ten, always has food all over his face and clothes after a meal).
He asked me how to use the zoom lens, which I impatiently showed him, wanting to continue on with the little hike we were on.
But he didn't catch what I showed him, so I had to show him again, twice.
It's not like I yelled at him or anything. It was just another day and we had a nice time.
But later on, I thought back about that moment, and the way my wife just automatically said "don't break it" - communicating to him that the expectation we have is that he WOULD break it.
I thought back about how impatiently I showed him the zoom feature, as though any idiot whould automatically know it (despite being ten and never having used this model of camera). Every annoyed exhale I gave must have communicated dissapointment and low expectations to him.
I suddenly felt really bad about that, and about the habit my wife and I have fallen into of treating our younger son as Mr. Joe Perfect, on-the-ball, and kind of rolling our eyes at the older one, subtly communicating to him that we think he is too lazy and/or slow to do a lot of things other kids his age do.
I never want to use that exasperated tone with my son again. I want him to know that I believe in him and know he can do anything he sets his mind to. I'm going to talk to my wife about it and try with her to be more supportive and less limiting of him.
And I think I know what present I want to get him, once I have enough money together. A digital camera of his own.