Grandma called the other day, and chose to tell my kids about the tornadoes

by Faithful Witness 8 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Faithful Witness

  I know this might be overreacting, and I have not said a peep about it to my kids or anyone else...

  Last week, my kids wanted to call my mom during the day. On her last visit, they had talked about calling her on her day off at home. She was in the shower, so they got the answering machine. I sent her a text, asking her to call if she had time.

  They each talked to her for about 5 minutes, and I was busy doing laundry. Afterward, my daughter said, "You know what? Grandma told me there were FIFTY tornadoes in Tennessee yesterday!" She had apparently also asked about the weather here, "Is it raining there?" I know that in Michigan, we all love talking about the weather, so maybe it was just an interesting and "safe" topic for her to express.

  I didn't comment on this, but just thought to myself that she was planting some "end time" seeds in their young minds. My kids are 6 and 7. I'm not going to react, but will be noticing if she says anything else that sounds fishy. My daughter used to be very scared of thunderstorms and wind... why would she bring this up? Last summer, my daughter asked me daily if there was going to be a tornado. (They might have been too young to watch The Wizard of Oz, after all... haha)
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  blondie

  Did she say it was a sign of the end? No tornados in the bible connected with the end, no tsunamis either. jws live for calamity, I call them calamity nellies, they don't know what to talk about when things go well.
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  Band on the Run

  Our family dog was afraid of bad thunderstorms. I associate unusual weather with the onset of Armageddon. Once the sky was a strange color and winds came, every family member said "Armageddon" in unison. Next, we laughed b/c it was after 1975.

  The weather is hyped by the news. How can you know for certain that your mom was preaching to them. My gm always preached. Six and seven is impressionable. I found with my extended family JWs that they were incapable of talking about weather, headlines, the Beatles. I would always try to steer the conversation to a neutral place. I never won.

  They were so deferential. My mom had to make the simplest business calls for them. I offered to help them and contribute the resources of a large Wall St. law firm. They declined. I would punch pillows. Your mom may be restraining herself but they can't talkk about anything else. If you put a gun to their heads, they could not talk about something else.

  We would roll our eyes when we were teenagers. Your children are at a vulnerable age. Is the alternative better? No contact with gm. I wanted the contact. My mom would debrief us after every visit.
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  AnnOMaly

  I wouldn't sweat it, her choice of topic ... unless the kids haven't had a conversation with their grandma in a while, and grandma didn't ask them about their lives, how was school, what fun things they'd been doing recently, etc., and the topic of weather was just filler for those short 5 minutes ... then I'd sweat it.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Global warming is caused by JWs wastefully burning fossil fuels when they spend hours driving around to not-at-homes. So all the catastrophic bad weather is caused by WT.
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  AudeSapere

  I don't think you mom necessarily tried to plant seeds, but since calamity is how they view the world, it's what comes up naturally when they discuss anything - even the weather.

  Which brings up a good point. I have a tendency to do the same. It's not until I'm half way into the report that I realize I'm focusing on the negative things. My brothers tease me about it. I am overall an optimistic person by my 'reports' seem to be more tragic than hopeful. Hmmmm. Food for my own thoughts here...

  Thanks.

  -Aude.
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  jamiebowers

  It doesn't matter whether or not Grandma was planting seeds about the end. She was in the wrong...period...if she knew your daughter is/was afraid of thunderstorms. If so, what an awful thing to do to a young child!
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  zebagain

  BOTR: 'Jw were incapable of talking about the weather, the beatles ,the headlines or anything else.' So true. and FW: No you are not over reacting you are astute to the welfare of your kids.
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  Faithful Witness

  I think you're right, but it was buggine me and I wanted to hear what it sounded like to others. I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, and I actually don't know that she would even think to use any subtle grooming techniques. Her training seems very limited, and she herself isn't even convinced of the truth.

  She is barely attending the ministry school (IF she is at all). She told me she only goes out in service on the weekends that they clean the KH... she doesn't seem very motivated to preach. She might not even be convinced that we are in the end times. I'm not going to make an issue out of it, but will make a note.

  Encounters like this, make me actually wonder if I could leave my kids with her overnight. I heard that she visited my other sister, and acted like her old self. She just might be acting JW around me. She has expressed her confusion about her identity. I need to find a way to see her, without the kids along... that is difficult to arrange (and explain).