What is a JW childhood like?

knighthawk1981

Hi. I was wondering what it is like to experience childhood in the org. I am an aspiring writer ad the org has always interested me...not in the sense that I'd like to join. Please send me some replies. Thank you.

StinkyPantz

Sheltered.

We can only have JW friends which can at times leave a child with very few options.

We can not celebrate holidays or birthdays or thanksgiving or christmas, etc; which leaves a child feeling left out.

If we don't follow JW rules to the T we think we'll be destroyed which leaves us with constant guilt.

Being a JW child is not cool in the least.

knighthawk1981

thanks for the info pantz.....another thing im wondering is what it's like in school for a dub and how do he parents handl a schol situation.

kelsey007

I grew up as a JW in a small town in north Alabama. It was a very small congregation and I had no JW's my age to associate with. That combined with the fact that I only had one sibling, a sister seven years my senior, left me sonewhat a loner- isolated. School was very difficult as the other kids thought I was stuck up or felt superior to them. Little did they know that I felt very uncomfortable as an isolated person. Not engaging in sports, parties and the like. The flag salute issue drew more unwanted attention and pressure. Under these circumstances I certainly felt very different and felt that I did not fit in or belong. To say the least it was a very confusing time and my childhood was not filled with the fondest of memories. To this day I feel that my social life suffers due to my JW childhood. "Bad association spoils useful habits".

OUTLAW

It Sucked!!!.Straight up!..LOL...OUTLAW

Robdar

Hi Knighthawk1981,

Childhood for a JW child is a very difficult life. Because there was no celebrating holidays, there is a lot of stress at school.

I remember once, in the 3rd grade, I received Valentines from the kids in my class. My curiosity got the best of me, and I opened them on the ride home. When I got home, I was a nervous, weeping wreck, convinced that my parents were going to punish me for doing it. I went in sobbing and gave my mother the opened Valentines and asked her if she was going to spank me for reading them. Thank goodness, she didn't spank me but even better, she didn't tell my father about the incident because he would have punished me.

Because the JW's can't salute the flag or stand for the National Anthem, there is a lot ridicule from other students. I was beaten up a lot at school for my beliefs. Being raised a pacifist, I wasn't supposed to fight back. I was supposed to consider this persecution proof that I was doing Jehovah's will.

Also, because there are so many meetings that a JW's has to attend, not to mention door to door work that would often have you knocking on fellow student's doors on Saturday morning, there is a lot of anxiety for JW children during regular school hours. You don't have enough time for sports, cheerleading, school trips, homecoming parades, plays, fund raisers, proms, etc.

Oh, and everybody in my school knew I was a virgin. This caused a lot of sexual harrassment not only from the guys but from the gals too. But those stories are for a different time and place.

You may find this hard to believe, but I do not regret my childhood. It made me strong in ways that I couldn't understand at the time.

I hope this information helps you with your research. Feel free to email me if you wish.

Robyn

Robdar

Kelsey007,

I grew up in a small town in North Alabama also. Please email me. I would like to talk to you.

Robyn

SpiderMonkey

School was the worst thing about it. When you're a kid you just want to fit it; if the only life you had was at the KH then maybe it would be better... not much, but better. Constantly explaining to teachers & classmates why you weren't celebrating a holiday... "No I didn't bring any cans for the Thanksgiving homeless drive because it's a nationalistic holiday that detracts from God." And other such crap! When my parents became really involved in dubdom, we were going to an Episcopal school, just because it was a good school. They had chapel services every morning, and all of a sudden my bro, sis, & I were expected to just sit there, rather than kneel, stand, sing, or whatever everyone else was doing. I felt like a retard; everyone was looking at me. And when my parents talked to the teachers & priests about "our" beliefs, they started doing wierd things, like: The priest conducting the chapel service decided that the boys would all stand & sing a certain part of the song, and then sit down while the girls stood & sang another part. (To make it "more fun"). So the boys stood, I stayed seated, and everyone on either side of me was looking at me like I was crazy, and my friends said, "Stand UP!!! What, are you a GIRL?" My mom seemed thrilled that we were "taking a stand for Jehovah against persecution" but I just wanted it all to go away. Then we went to non-denominational schools. The religious pressures were gone, but I still felt like a freak. School is no joy for a JW child.

SpiceItUp

It sucked!!!!

fell free to email me for further details or search some of my posts.

joannadandy

Scary at times. To know people all around you could die, at any day, and you'll never see them again, is scary.

Empowering at times. I knew more about the Bible than any kid in my school. I stood up for myself, I was a rebel, a fighter for faith and all that was holy. ( whatever )

Embarassing at times. Sometimes that fight is hard and lonely. Which is supposed to make you a martyr, but since you don't really understand that, mostly you feel left out and silly.

You learn to speak on a level and share as little information as possible so as not to give away your whacky ideas. You learn to call meetings church, and the like. Down playing Holidays is important, pretending like you don't care.

You learn to develop tight friendships with your friends. They are the only ones who understand what it is really like. You also learn to weed out the snitches.

You really learn how to read a person. Learning to find just how much of yourelf you can share. Can you tell them about the crush you have on the lifeguard at the local pool, or should you not say so you don't get a talk about having impure thoughts, or how "wordly boys only want one thing"

Trust is a BIG issue, all the time. Trust only those in the org. NEVER trust wordly people cuz they will only use you. Don't put too much trust in an elders wife. Watch out to trust the elders kids.

I will say this much. Being in the borg taught me how to read when I was four. LOL, Bible Story books helped. So I guess it wasn't all bad.

What is a JW childhood like?

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