Hi Zana,
I understand that it is a little bit strange. As I told you, the first 4/5 years of my marriage I had a bible study and attended 70/80% of the meetings with my wife.
She used to read bible stories from the yellow book to my first daughter. At the beginning I didn't interfere to much with the education of my kids, I just tried, since I was working and travelling a lot, to play with them and before sleeping read them some stories as Peter Pan, Pinocchio other Grimm stories or I just invented them ( you can immagine which they preferred ).
Another thing to consider is that at christmas we used to go to my parents ( catholic ) who celbrated christmas.
In Italy religion is " almost " obligatory at school but we decided not to let them attend. But, for example at dinner when we discussed the evolution theory my wife told them the Wt point of view and I just tried to explain my kids that it was just a point of view and that the evolution was antoher possibility of how life on earth started.
My father, only once, told me I was allowing my wife to much and that I had to intervene but Imtold him that everyting was under control.
The important things that I did was ;
- not allowing the kids to attend the meetings during the week. An elder once asked why and I told them; " meetings finish to,late and they have to go to school." He than asked me at which time they went to bed ( what I expected ) and I told him 8.30 so that he coulnd't go on with the discussion.
- iI absolutely didn't want them to have a bible study ( besides the mother ) before an highschool degree
- I allowed my kids to read Harry Potter and play with yu ghi oh cards.
- for me school and education was very important
At 8 or 9 my daughter told her mother she was an atheist. I think my two sons are agnostic as I am.
Yes though she is very liberal I think it is difficult for her but honestly in 27 years the distance between her and the congregation grew steadily. When the Jws in the 80s spoke of Armagheddon ( 1914 generation ) she married me and had kids.
The last memorial when she came back home she was sad but she didn't tell me anything. I used to acvomany her so now and than but 7 years ago a very aggressive overseer tried to convert the whole family and I almost had to throw him out ( my wife told him that I didn't want him to come ).
They just cannot respect me.
I am trying to tell her that here parents made an enormous mistake by joining this religion and that they are all nuts. I spoke to her about child abuse but she didn't want to read B. Anderson's website. But she told me she believed me.
She usually answers; ; " why should I leave my religion, I go not evem once a week to the KH and I just go and pray ).
She has always protected her private life and has some very food non Jw friends.
She once told me that she will not change this, even if th Gb obliges her.
Let us see...
