JW Children in Meetings (page 3)

blue_summmer20

Thanks for the welcome. I think that is ultimatly the parent's decision on how to discipline their child, as long as it does not cross the border between discipline and child abuse. But it is child abuse when you beat a child hard enough so that the congregtion can hear it and just because they are not sitting still. The recent spankings I have seen were totally uncalled for. There is a difference between spanking and teaching and abuse.

stuckinamovement

Part of the problem is the unrealistic expectations of the little ones. How can you expect a 2-7 year old to sit still through a 2hr monotone program? The kid fidgets (understandably) and then he or she is hauled out the door for a beating. On the other hand if you don't take your kid out for discipline then you get the stink eye from Brother and Sister Holy who wonder why you are not handling the child by giving him or her a spanking.

The kids and their parents are all set up to fail.

SIAM

ShirleyW

I remember a family in our Hall used to make their two preschool kids sit at home for an hour straight to practice for the meetings , sad but I'm sure they're not the only ones to do that.

finally awake

We were actually advised to make our kids practice sitting still and silent at home. The older two were just toddlers when we got that little nugget of wisdom. There is no way you can force a normal child under the age of 3 to sit perfectly still and silent for any length of time. With my kids, I don't think anything short of beating them unconcious would have done the trick.

WTWizard

I have seen too many of them getting dragged into the rear. Usually, they would be taken where they couldn't be heard from the auditorium.

And, what I wouldn't hear is the threats of even worse beatings when they got home. They had to shut up or they would get more--and get threatened with beatings after they got home. For sure, that would limit what the congregation would be able to see going on. And the hounders were as often as not the ones doing the spankings and beatings, and threats for even worse beatings.

I did see spankings and beatings issued while out in field circus. One child, around 8, would be dragged out in field circus. I remember working one week in April, when they had the pious-sneer drive. This child's mother fell for the pious-sneer bait. The child had school recess one week. As i was out every weekday afternoon most of the month (except just before the Big Boasting Session), I saw what went on. This child was out for the afternoon every damn day, after having been out all morning. They wouldn't go in until after 4 PM. Needless to say, this generated quite a bit of whining and complaining (and playing around), which yielded spankings and beatings, and threats for more beatings when they got home.

To me, that is abuse. Yet, the hounders do nothing but condone it.

smiddy

I kid you not my son pleaded with me to take him out the back to spank him ,I didn`t understand it at the time

smiddy

ps Welcome blue summmer20

Great to have you on board

dontplaceliterature

I'm of the opinion that this is a strictly regional thing these days. I've never seen a kid spanked at the Kingdom Hall I go to, not for almost 10 years. I think if it did happen, people would be offended.

I grew up in a rural area where more people endorsed this style of discipline, in which case it happened frequently. I was sometimes a victim of it, but my mom usually just pinched us on the arm or something. She didn't want to cause a scene. I would not say I was "abused" growing up.

I remember those "bloody murder" screams from kids getting taken in the back. I remember everyone laughing one time when a boy said, "Ohhhh...Jehooovah," while being carried to the back by his father. Terrible.

nugget

it is all part of the traditional JW upbringing. Meetings are designed for adults not children and no allowance is made for their age, behavioural and emotional needs or mental capacity. As a result children are disciplined to ensure they sit quietly and behave appropriately. Not only are elders aware of the discipline that goes on, they actively encourage it.

highdose

my points on this thread would be:

I can remember all the "freinds" in the cong universally finding it so funny when a child was dragged outside to be beaten, "awww!" they could wisper "he dosn't want a spanking... well they got to learn to sit still!"

I can remember my own mother somtimes almost being in competion with the other mums in the cong. If they had smacked their child more than she had smacked me then somtimes i would get a smack for no reason at all! straight out of the blue, and i had been sitting there as good as gold.

I also remember the universal "second smacks" which where punishment for crying about the pain of the first. all the parents in the hall practiced this routine.

titch

Wow! This thread post really brought back memories of my own mom, and her experiences of "championing" the rights of children. My mom passed away more than 30 years ago, and she DID pass away as a practicing Witness, HOWEVER, she had zero tolerance for what she saw and perceived as child abuse amongst fellow Witnesses. When she saw it occuring at meetings or large assemblies, she would confront the offending party with "both barrels", and let the person know, in no uncertain terms, that what they were perpetrating upon a little child was wrong. I remember once when she had a spirited confrontation with the daughter-in-law of an Elder, and with the Elder himself, for what the young woman was "dishing out" to her young son, who was about 2 years old at the time. So, yes, there have been some Witnesses, including my mom, who would NOT tolerate the physical and emotional abuse that some JW's would mete out to their offspring.

Titch.

JW Children in Meetings

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