Why don't Jehovah's Witneses offer childrens activities? (page 3)

GetBusyLiving

It's sad to see this kids grow into adults that are too scared to even make choices for themselves. They get Jehovah beaten into their heads so much they are stunted for life. Bastards.

GBL

Netty

I have always wondered why the JW's don't have a playroom/area or offer kids activities during the meetings. I would imagine it's been brought to the societys attention at some point. It just makes so much sense to offer a place where kids and go and play, where they can be read to, have them sing, color pages on bible related stories etc..... . Kids learn best by interacting with material geared towards their age group,not by sitting like drones for 2 hours. Plus it gives overworked parents especially the moms a chance to actually listen during the meetings. It seems like the society has no interest in children or families. They are bleeding kids left and right, now, imagine if they had paid more attention to the youth and instilled a desire to attend the meetings from an early age with good memories. Other churches do this so why can't the dubs? Just another observation; ever notice how all the DC arenas never have a play area either and if they do it's closed off?

AMEN dragonlady!!! This is a very big deal for me. I've posted on a few different threads here recently, on all the activities the church I hit and miss at, has for kids. Day care, playground, stories, games, snacks, cartoons. My kids love it. What a difference this makes. Not only for the kids, but for the parents too. I can actually sit, and relax, and listen to what is being said from the stage, without the stress of kids making noise, or whining, or disrupting.

blondie

Blondie, I don't see how they can defend that view point in regards to providing kh childrens activities.

Just reporting, not supporting.

My mother and her siblings actually took naps in the bedroom during the meetings (the Bible Student days of the WTS).

My personal take on this was that the WTS was losing control over the material being taught and as has been pointed out Fred Franz had no children (and didn't particularly care for them) and Rutherford alienated his only son, Malcolm and had nothing to do with him for years. Of course, Knorr spent all of his adult years at Bethel and married late in life and had no children.

They have no clue what is like to take care of small children. There was a time that the WTS realized they were losing sisters because they spent all their time at the meetings disciplining children, taking them to the restroom, etc., etc.

Here were some words they said at the time 17 years ago limited in scope thought it was; some younger fathers apply it but most are too busy with their "privileges" to help their wives.

***

w88 3/1 pp. 24-25 Responsible Childbearing in This Time of the End ***

All Christian husbands, whether they have congregational responsibilities or not, should also consider the effect that taking care of young children could have on their wife’s spirituality. If a wife is not spiritually strong, how will a baby, or a number of babies, affect her personal study and opportunities to share in the preaching work?

Do husbands always realize that taking care of a baby or a young child often prevents their wives from getting full benefit from the Congregation Book Study, Kingdom Hall meetings, circuit assemblies, and district conventions? Such a situation can last for months, and even years, when baby follows baby. It is in the nature of things that the load, in this respect, falls mainly on the mother, rather than on the father. It has sometimes been observed that whereas some Christian men progress spiritually, even to the point of being assigned privileges in the congregation, their wives become spiritually weak. Why? Often it is because their young children prevent the wives from concentrating at meetings, doing deep Bible study, or sharing in a large measure in the witnessing work. Can fatherhood be called responsible if it permits such situations to develop?

Fortunately, this is not always the case. Many Christian fathers do their utmost to share the load of looking after the children. They take their full share in seeing that their children remain quiet during congregation meetings. If their baby starts to cry, or their child becomes boisterous, they in their turn will take it outside for appropriate discipline. Why should mother always be the one to lose parts of the meetings? At home, considerate husbands help their wives with the chores and in getting the children to bed so that husband and wife can sit down to concentrate quietly on spiritual matters.

hopelesslystained

thank you for the report, Blondie. sad thing is, In my 27 yrs as a jw, I only saw 1 brother occasionally help control his own kids during a meeting. it was always the mother or an older daughter who took the responsibility of removing a noisy little one from the main hall. i got so tired of the dirty looks from turned heads during meetings that i just quit going. apparently it was a place for the very self centered to be able to eat of the spiritual food in order to survive the immediately upcoming destruction of all who were not in a kingdom hall. sorry, this makes me sic to my stomach and teary...

Cicatrix

"it was always the mother or an older daughter who took the responsibility of removing a noisy little one from the main hall. i got so tired of the dirty looks from turned heads during meetings that i just quit going."

When I tried to remove my young children because they were noisy,the elders weren't even happy with that. I understood child development, and refused to beat my kids for not being able to sit still for two hours at a stretch. I would take them to the library, which had speakers and a glass window you could see the main hall from.I was actually called on by name from the platform to answer a question in the Revelation book (we had our book study at the hall while our study conductor's house was being rennonvated) one time.The conductor made a big deal about me not being in the main hall. Then I was told by him and another elder after the meeting that the B school/library was not a nursery (didn't matter that I had a nursing newborn and preschool children I was bringing to the meeting by myself).

I didn't go for months after that!

love2Bworldly

Let's not forget the admonition to wait until the new system to have children. If they catered to families, wouldn't that be encouraging people to have babies like normal people do?

PaulJ

Its how it starts. You are told to sit and listen (not the parents fault, but rather the organisation) As time goes by you believe everything that the person on that platform tells you.

MidwichCuckoo

Children are ONLY future WTBTS fodder - why invest in them?

mapleaf18

let's also not forget that the children need to be dressed to the nines on all occassions to be as uncomfortable as possible. what a difference at my boyfriend's children's church. they allow kids to wear <insert audible gasp> SHORTS and SNEAKERS and JEANS!!!

the women are dressed in culottes or comfortable khakis; you see a few skirts here and there but no JW stepford wife attire. . .

mapleaf18

i remember one of the more "reasonable" families in the congo, and the mom got chewed out because the 5 year old was wearing suede "hush puppies" and not the black faux leather dress shoes that were the norm of the kiddie footwear in dubbie land. apparently they resembled tennis shoes a little too much for mr. high and mighty elder's tastes. . .

Why don't Jehovah's Witneses offer childrens activities?

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