by myusername 42 Replies latest jw experiences
I wasn't made to tell people that. It was an excuse I could use when discussing it with friends at school. It wasn't really true. I can remember specific gifts I got as a child, but only a handful.
Another thing that comes into play - or it did for me - is that as someone raised without ever getting presents, it was not part of my personality to 'give' gifts either as a parent.
Me neither, not as a parent, but in general.
Yep. Reason 1042847 why growing up a JW sucks.
Did anyone else's parents look down on other Witness parents who gave assembly presents? Mine reckoned it was nothing more than bribery to go to the assembly.
What gifts? I could list the gifts (from the ages of 0-16 years) my parents gave on one hand.
ESTEE
Yep that was the standard line us kids had to say when asked about xmas. How I used to dread being asked by other kids what I got for christmas - I usually resorted to inventing something just to not feel so embarrassed. My parents turned their wedding anniversary into our 'present day' and while it was nice it's not the same.
I still clearly remember the last christmas we had when I was a 5 year old child. My parents were studying with the jws and told us this would be our last christmas. As time went on even though I 'knew' all about christmas being pagan and part of false religion, deep inside as a child it felt shameful being on the outer at xmas time.
As an adult though the brainwashing was more ingrained and the self righteousness of the jw cult took over and it felt 'right' not being part of christmas. For a while anyway. Then after I had my own child, somewhere deep inside me this longing to take part in the rituals and traditions of christmas started surfacing and never went away.
Now we have been out for nearly 5 years and this is the first real christmas my husband and I and son are doing. We have put up our first xmas tree and under it are presents for my son. The only thing is he is now 20 but I figure it's still not too late to do christmas for our child.
Happy xmas from Australia
Hopscotch
Mickey Mouse-I didn't know anyone who got assembly presents but maybe they did. My parents actually made me watch the contribution boxes with one of them on all the breaks of one assembly when I was 8. So I had no opportunity to move each assembly day other than walking from my chair to the box. I had tears running down my face every day sitting at the box. People at the assembly mainly gave me mean looks like I was misbehaving for crying. I did know one family who bribed their kids to behave with gifts.
i looked on it more as compensation than bribery, bribery would imply choice in the decision to go, there was no choice but to go.
the reward for good behaviour was to be able to avoid the beatings in the bog.
not sure if anyone else knew or took any notice cos i'm guessing if it had caused talk it would have probably been nipped in the bud smartish.
When I was a Kid..I told my moms sister I liked Christmas..
I paid for that dearly..
JW Kids either lie about Christmas,or they Pay a Price..
Lieing for the WBT$ is Strictly Enforced,by Idiot JW Parents..
......................
...OUTLAW
nelly136- I grew up in the 80s and physcially punishing children was encouraged in our congregation. Yes compensation makes more sense. I called it bribery because these particular children (I was a child at the time too) were kind of the crazy kids and they seemed to enjoy it so much. lol It's compensation though.
Outlaw-you have no idea the stupid things I told my parents when I was 4-5 before I learned. One big thing is I told them I wouldn't be a JW when I was an adult. So they taught us to be dishonest, right?
