Sick kids at the KH

by Sadie5 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  Sadie5

  This always irked me, when little children were brought to the meetings and they were sick. I remember one little girl would cough through an entire meeting. they brought her like that for months, they said they didn't know what was wrong with her. Hello? Do you think you ought to expose everyone if you don't know what it is. Wouldn't she feel better at home next to a vaporizer?Or children running fevers and sleeping in chairs. "He's had a temperature of 102 all day long", one parent said.

  Anyone else see this, or was our hall the only one that had parents like this?

  Sadie
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  out4good3

  I remember at a congregation in Houston I used to attend where much praise was heaped upon a mother with an unbelieving mate who would drag her 5 kids to the meetings whether they were sick or not. I could see the displeasure on the faces of her two pre-teens whose job it was to keep the other kids in line while at the same time try to pay attention to every word coming the podium. That was some ten years ago so I figure that those preteens are adults now who have long left that nonsense behind.

  I suspect that it's like that in every hall.

  To them, nothing is more important than those indoctrinating sessions....meetings.
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  SoulJah

  My parents would take me to the meetings sick; but one would stay home if my sister was sick while the other one took me to the meetings. It was like that with school too though, my sister could say she was sick and get the day off, but I would have to have diahrea/vomiting to even make them consider not sending me to school.
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  Perfection Seeker

  Our hall was all full of show-you went to meetings no matter what! I mean, even chicken pox- you just sat back in the library. People would show up with high fevers, contagious, etc. They stressed meeting attendance sooo much, that like- if someone JUST had a baby- the husband STILL came while the wife was in the hospital, and if the wife got out on a meeting night- she's be there- no if ands or butts! What a crock.
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  Scully

  My philosophy, as a parent - even when I was a JW - and now as a nurse is that sick children get better faster when their physical needs for rest and nutrition are looked after. Did I get flak for it as a JW? You bet I did! But nobody could ever say that they or their kids got sick because I was stupid enough to bring a feverish, coughing, vomiting, chicken pox contagious, lice infested kid to the KH, the way some of "the friends" had done.

  Yep, I remember sitting beside a little boy at the KH who'd been scratching his neck and behind his ears.... lo and behold, the next day he was sent home from school because they found head lice. Did they do anything to de-louse the KH or at least the upholstered chairs he'd been sitting on? Nope.

  A lot of elders (especially the childless ones) would chide parents for wanting to "coddle" sick children and keep them home from meetings. Some of them even felt that children (6 month olds even) would "fake" illness to avoid going to meetings, and needed to be trained to know that meetings were not optional. As if a kid can "fake" a fever?? Or I suppose those kids with the flu and vomiting are just looking for attention?? Shame on them!! <sarcasm>

  It was especially heartwarming to witness one of these arrogant childless elders reaping the fruitage of his own stupid advice. Sister X brings little Billy to the meeting even though he's feeling unwell, after receiving admonition from Brother Elder on a previous occasion. Billy doesn't quite make it when he makes a mad dash to the bathroom to barf..... and in his haste finds the only open receptacle in the aisle.... Brother Elder's briefcase!

  Love, Scully
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  YoursChelbie

  Meeting attendance is soooo drilled into people. When I used to go to meetings, it got to the point where it was like an obsessive compulsive disorder.

  I mean, I've seen...

  • Children on school nights trying to finish their homework in the car on the way TO the meetting
  • A woman with the FLU sneezing her germs out all over the ladies room.
  • A toddler being FED crackers and pudding in the ladies room because the mom didn't have time for dinner
  • A man shaving in the guys restroom (?)

  The list goes on and on, I would think that trying to do too much in one day would normally suppress your immune system in the first place. For me, it got to the point were I couldn't take the stress. I tried to reason with people: "The GIFT God gives is everlasting life by Christ." You can't earn a gift!

  God isn't keeping a scorecard of sorts and saying to us: "Whoever goes to the MOST meetings gets to live forever.... "

  Such non-sense!

  Edited by - YoursChelbie on 10 July 2002 10:5:8

  Edited by - YoursChelbie on 10 July 2002 10:59:38
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  jaded

  This topic really strikes a nerve with me. Sick children were always at the KH and assemblies. My kids got sick after every assembly. Makes me so angry just thinking about this.

  I do remember one time an elder at our hall making a comment about this. He actually said that sick children should be kept home. He even stated that sometimes because of the articles in the magazines we feel that we should take our kids to assemblies no matter what. (You know what articles I'm talking about--walking for days through crocodile infested waters.) He went on to state that in those countries they don't have assemblies as regularly as we do and we could aways go to one another week. Wonder if he got some flack from the other elders after that meeting?
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  Dutchie

  When we were sick on meeting nights, my mother used to say "You're not going to feel any better sitting at home." So, off we'd go to the Kingdom Hall, sick as dogs!
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  blondie

  Most kids get the childhood diseases from the neighbor kids or at school. JW kids get it at the KH. How many here got the measles, mumps, or chicken pox at the KH?
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  mrs rocky2

  This local KH where I live, the only time approved for staying home sick was if you were barfing. And you weren't supposed to watch TV if you stayed home sick. People would brag about it as if it were some badge of honor. And unfortunately, I played the game. I remember going to Sunday meeting during one CO's visit with a migraine. Don't remember a thing about his visit - but I was there! Tried not to take the kids to the KH when they were sick tho. A migraine is not contagious. But I would have never heard the end of it if my kids made some pioneer sick and they had to miss service!

  The homework thing always bothered me too. Glad we started the fade away when my kids hit junior high school, same time as the homework load increased. Even without going to meetings these kids have had to stay up half the night doing homework. Of course, now that they are finished with high school, have to say the all night homework was worth it. Both have gotten excellent scholarships for college.