Is your family close??...

by Hecklerboy 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  Hecklerboy

  I was talking to a good friend of mine the other night on the phone and I was telling him about my wife wondering why my family isn't very close. When we started thinking about it we both decided it was because we grew up JW's. All our "family" time was spent going to meetings, studying for meetings, going out in service, and going to assemblies. I never remember going on a vacation with my family. Like going to the beach for a week or even going to the park. Everything revolved around being a witness. He said the same about his family. Mind you my family wasn't even one of the super spiritual families. Just a single mom raising her 4 kids the best she can.

  My wife's family is very close and I love being around them. I'm actually closer to my wife's family than I am my own. My mom and sister have only been to my house (we live 2 hours away) 3 times in the 10 years I've lived here. My two brothers have never been to my house. We don't even talk on the phone that much. I would love to be closer to my family, but it just seems we have nothing to talk about. All they know is the organization. They aren't impressed with my wife's ongoing education (master's in nursing) or my love of mountian biking so we never talk about that. Plus whenever I call my mom she is alway asking me when I'm going back to the meetings. I haven't set a foot in a kingdom hall in over 8 years and never will.

  Oh well, enough rambling. Anyone else have this problem?
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  Big Tex

  I haven't seen my father in 13 years (my mother died 15 years ago), or my sisters in 10. We were not close at all growing up and I don't miss them in the slightest.

  But my children, my wife and I are very close. In fact this weekend, the kids and I are going Christmas shopping for Mommy.
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  gypsywildone

  My dad & 2 sisters are close as can be, although we are in 3 different states now. No one really has anything to do with my inactive jw mother, except me on a sporadic basis. She sort of fostered an atmosphere of unhappiness & war while we were growing up, & now it's all good!

  We are all kind of independat as well though, no one is up anyone else's skirt, so to speak. They're all different from one another, & they're all awesome!
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  JustTickledPink

  My JW mother is one of 10 kids, 9 of them are baptized, it always puzzled me how we never visited, they never visited us, and how lonely and alone I always felt. I met some of my family growing up, but no, we were never close. I have no memories of trips or weekends with them or anything. I went back for a funeral and it was so strange, these fleshly brothers and sisters hanging out with nothing to talk about or do except read the latest Watchtower.

  I married into a close family though and I'm very happy to finally have that now.
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  Mulan

  Our family is very close. Both of my parents are still alive (in their 90's) and I visit them several times a week at their assisted living facility. I have lunch with them at least twice a week there.

  We have four children and are very close with all of them and their families. Nieces and their families too.

  We also have extended family that we stay in close touch with even though they don't live nearby.

  Most are ex JW's, but my mother, one cousin and one aunt are still believers. Dave has one brother (and his wife and 3 children) that is still a JW who has nothing to do with us.
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  Valis

  My family suffers from terminal disaffection I'm afraid..

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
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  ApagaLaLuz

  No my family is the most opposite (what ever you would call that) of close. I have 3 sisters whom I've only seen twice in my life, and a half-brother I havent spoken to in 8 years. My cousins hate each other, my aunts and uncles hate each other, and everybody hates me. I'm only now learning what a normal loving family is, and they arent even my blood family. The only family members I have ANY contact with, is my cousin from Kentucky whom I am terribly close to, and my oldest sister whom I just recently established a relationship with after nearly 20 years.
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  unbeliever

  I am close with my dad and siblings. I also have extended family I am close too. I have dinner with my dad 1-2 times a week and see my siblings on weekends.

  I have very little contact with my dub family but I am not on bad terms with them either. We have nothing in common so therefore we don't spend time together.
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  under74

  I would say my immediate family is pretty close. We have a lot of extended family that we're cut off from because they're JWs. I think we fight a lot but a lot of it I believe has to do with us being so much alike....and we're all yellers.
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  gypsywildone

  When would you have TIME to visit, what with all the meetings, etc! What a hassle! I don't remember any "vacation" or trip that wasn't assembly related, etc. even happening if it was not for my unbelieving dad. I used to have cousins, etc. when I was a kid, but when I was 13 & my mother got nuts on this stuff, they sort of went by the wayside.