What is a JW childhood like? (page 4)

happysunshine

What are we going to do with all our post-tramautic-childhood-energy/anger?

Syn, sometimes it is hard to admit what a shitty family I had. It is embarrassing , but I feel that by talking about it , I can come to terms with it ya know. I have left alot of it behind me, I have a wonderful family and I try to focus on them now. But from time to time, this subject comes up alot especailly in this room, since this is a place for healing and I am so gratefull for that.

I don't speak with my father anymore , even when I was a good elders wife, he pushed me away in favor of his new wife and new daughter. My relationship with him went to pot, 16 yrs ago when my mother committed suicided,,,,,,,, I guess he wanted us all to be gone ,all that reminded him of our lives together. I tried for years to be a good daughter and begged for his love. Since I left the JW a year ago , I have gained the strength needed to let him go, that is what he wants and I can't make him love me or his grandkids. But I have found many more wonderful people that have filled the void that my parents have left. I try to think of the sheer happiness I feel now.

Sharing my childhood crap, is a way for me to vent , which was something I was never allowed to do. It is a freedom, a rebellion if you will agaisnt what JW have taught me all my life.... keep your mouth shut and do what you are told. Those days are over.

Only problem is,,,,,,,,,,,,, I never shut up anymore!!!!!!!!!! LOL ask wild turkey..... I am sure he would say............. oh no ... grab a chair, here she goes, get ready for a long ride. LOL

Sincerely, Dede of the never to be silenced and ignored ever again class................

tdogg

It didn't seem so bad untill you got older. I mean how lucky can you get? Being born into the true church and hence having your life saved at armageddon was surely a good thing. You could play with worldly kids at school, but not after, because after school they are much worse than during. The holiday thing never bothered me, but I REALLY wanted to play sports. I would play as much sport as I could with the kids in the neighborhood, but could never join a league.

The MOST HORRIBLE THING IMAGINABLE (I still have bad dreams about it): Having to go door to door in your own neighborhood! Especially when the neighbors know what kind of people you really are. I was absolutly terrified of it. Once I ran into a friend from school while I was out. He rode up on his bike and asked what I was doing. I was horrified. Luckily he was cool about it and did not harass me at school. It could have been very bad at that age.

Sometimes my school friends would stand up for me. Once the other kids got some kind of holiday treat and the teacher just puts a regular candy bar on my desk. Some kid was pevved at my special treatment and he snatched it. Before I could say a word, another kid took care of him for me and handed me back my candy bar. Still the whole thing was a bit embarrassing. Having to do any holiday thing in class was no fun. The teachers were usually very nice about it. They would quietly hand me my special "non-holiday" project and I would gladly do it because to actually color a pictue of a jack-o-lantern, or whatever, would have caused tremendous guilt.

minimus

It was pretty good because when you are raised as a JW you know nothing else.Sure, you don't celebrate anything, but when you are taught from infancy that no day is special....it's not too hard to deal with. When you are told that obeying Jehovah is more important than any temporary worldly thing, you accept it....that's why I may not be as bitter as some might be. I never felt that I was sacrificing all that much. It was very normal to me

Valis

At least most of us learned to read at a very young age...that's the only thing I can think of...the rest sucked like new light straight from Jehovah's canal...

Sincerely,

District Overbeer of the "don't even think of take my kids to a kingdom hall, ya hear me?!!!!" class

r51785

Kind of like growing up in the Soviet Union under Stalin. I was sent down to the principal's office for mis-behavior once when I was in third grade. I didn't tell my parents but was fearful that Comrade Elder might find out and then one night at the end of the service meeting I would be sent to the spiritual gulag (disfellowshipped).

There's a lot of fear when you're a WT kid

wokeup

Setting: 1960's east Palo Alto, Ca.(Outer limits theme in background) Fear that my all my relatives and beloved grandparents were all going to die like in the pic in the Paradise lost book. Fear of my abusive alcoholic step-father coming home in the middle of the nite. Frequent physical attacks daily for being the only white boy( jw at that!) in an all black school. Being mocked at the door by the same students in field service. Fear of prejudiced adults sicking their dogs on you. Fear of the Black Panthers in your midst. Fear of the Zodiac killer. Fearful sights of the war in 'Nam on TV each night. Fear of the Congregation Overseer who intimidated me. The fear seeing older brothers I knew being reprimanded for sins such as wearing a mustache. My first talk in the main hall against my will at 8 years old .Fear that Jehovah will kill me for succumbing to that piece of birthday cake at school and being jealous of the christmas presents the other kids got. 'cause Armaggedons' right around the corner. Wishing an Alien would wisk me away in time .

larc

My experience was quite different than most expressed here. My first Witness recollections were when I was five years old, in 1945. We lived in the country, and there were no Witness kids in my school or in my kingdom hall for that matter. I was given no restrictions on playing with the local kids. This pattern continued through my childhood, even when we moved to the city, and there were Witness kids at school and at the hall. I was still allowed to play with whomever I wanted to. Also, my mother bent the rules some. I was allowed to go to the YMCA. In high school, I played on the baseball team, joined clubs, and went to the school dances. The other rules, no birthdays, no flag salute, and no military service, did not bother me, since I was raised in it, and thought these rules were God's will. Another better part of being a Witness child back then was the fact that we could get together at parties. We also were encouraged to date several people, shop around and we were not chaporoned on dates.

QUEENIE

MY life as a JW -- LIFE IN GENERAL as one SUCKED !!! queenie -- THE APOSTATE HEATHEN BITCH FROM HELL

rocky220

good morning all! Stickypantz, i went thru the same experience with the further keeping me under lock and key. And when i became a teenager, man, it was torture. 1-2 yrs before i finally left home to go on my own, i rebeled, it was 1975-77 time if disco, dont you think i finally got my licks in!

Constantly accused of fornicating, [falsely i might add],and then i got to the point if i was going to hell , i might as well enjoy the ride [sex]. That's a hell of a way to give up ones virginity, not because you loved the person, but to spite your controlling overbearing JW mother, DAMN! ROCKY

What is a JW childhood like?