i was having a casual chat with my little girl of 6 last night ansd she said she loved her cousins (her disfellowshipped aunties girls ) then she said we also have some other familie that we have not seEn for ages havnt we (i thought she had forgot them ) i said well thats because they belong to a silly religion that wont let them see us (her daddy is disfellowshipped ) she replied oh well lets go and see them instead then ! how do i handle that ?
a childs point of view of shunning
by looloo 4 Replies latest jw experiences
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Heartbreaker
If it were my 6 year old, I would sit down and color and "write" them a letter, inviting them into your lives, as people and family, for the sake of family and children, no religion involved (of course all she needs to know is the letter and the coloring) and send it. That way the cards are on the table for them, not you, and your child is satisfied you attempted to fulfill her request.
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BabaYaga
I think Heartbreaker has a wonderful idea...
Except for the fact that, if they are Witnesses who would shun family per the party line, they might not be the sort of people you want influencing your child. At the very least, they will probably "witness" to her and tell her that her parents are going to be destroyed.
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Heartbreaker
If they do that, then they are CUT OFF too...that should be felt out by the first time they get together at a neutral location, like a park, and then conversations on the way home about what was said when mom wasn't standing right there. It could be a good leason on how to treat people, what respect means, and what love looks like, if nothing else.
At the end of the day, they'll probably ignore the mailing, and it'll be a moot point, but it'll feel proactive and loving for the daughter to take some sort of human reactive action in contacting family.
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BabaYaga
Agreed, Heartbreaker, I think the letter writing is a great idea. It is a proactive solution.
There seems to be two of these threads:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/193246/1/a-childs-point-of-view-of-shunning