by Wild_Thing 8 Replies latest jw friends
Does anyone know if there are any discussion forums or other types of online support for teenagers/ young adults who are struggling with being a witness? I did a search and found one and it looked rather christain based. My neice is feisty, opinionated, and doesn't like any bible crap.
I don't really want her coming to this forum yet.
*waves to wildthing* Wish I did. She is welcome at Thunders
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exjwyouthsupport/
Check out this site...I'm not sure if it what you mean
Hey Sheila! Where ya been! Yeah, my neice is one unhappy girl! I'm ready to step in and give her some hope!
Thanks Blondie! That is the ONE that I found. I noticed that they emphasized the founders are "Christian" and I wish I could see what is posted there first!
My little neice (17 yrs old) is feisty, but fragile. I just do not want to send somewhere unless I am fairly sure. She is a self-proclaimed atheist, by the way.
Just curious, if she's already declared atheism, why would you be uncomfortable with her here?
lol, just realized; in light of a recent post by yours truly, that may be a stupid question. *blush*
Just curious, if she's already declared atheism, why would you be uncomfortable with her here?
Well, for one thing, I AM HERE! I would still like my privacy and anonymity. She knows my opinion of JWs and we have discussed it when we can (which is not often). But if she were to come here, I would not feel comfortable discussing things as openly as I do now. Plus, as you have pointed out, some of the threads here are a little *ahem* adult oriented!
Seriously, I want her to find hope for the future, I do not want to go completely wild, which is what I have seen some young JWs do. They are like a spring that has been held down tight all of their life and go flying off at first site of freedom! She has been very depressed (and possibly suicidal) for a while now. She is failing 11th grade. She was once in the gifted program pulling all A's. My family's solution to this problem is to repair her "spiritual health". So, no real counseling or help of any kind is an option. My sister actually called recently to ask for my advice on the situation, and I asked about getting her help for the depression. Her response was, "She is NOT depressed! She just wants her way!" All teenagers want their way, but I know depression when I see it. I tried telling my neice that it will be very soon when she will have a choice, but she just doesn't see it. I tried telling her there are things she can do now to help prepare for the time when it comes. I told her that her education can be her way out! I asked her, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" She told me, "Dead." She doesn't care if she finishes school. She doesn't even have her driver's license and doesn't care about getting it. She doesn't want to get a job or pursue any other interests. I am really worried about her.
I really am not sure that I trust her completely to know that I post here. I don't care if she knows I converse with ex-JWs over the internet ... I think my family knows that, but I do not want her to know I post *here*. The problem is ... in addition to the entire fam being devout witnesses, they are also deranged lunatics. They play mind games, can be manipulative, and other nasty things that my neice sometimes gets caught up in. I think she sees the craziness of it all, but still manages to get sucked into the drama sometimes.
ah... makes sense. I didn't think of that.
Well, from your description, I'm glad she has you rooting for her, it sounds like she needs that lifeline desperately. It makes me sad to hear of someone seeing the bullshit of the org, and yet not seeing the freedom of seeing that as a ticket to a wonderful world. But... I do understand depression, and that's a tough age to have it.
