Posts by Andee

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

The question of this thread is; will watching people being executed and a young child being impaled by pitchfork inspire a 14 year old to be more compassionate and sensitive to human suffering? Or will it seriously tramatize her to the point of nightmares. If the kid is having nightmares she shouldn't be forced to watch it. Just hearing the stories are shocking, let alone watching them.

I have shared this experience briefly in another thread. I only share it because I am sadden by children being deliberately being exposed to violence for which they are not emotionally ready. Kids can still be taught to have compassion and empathy without having to actually witness horrific executions.

Anyway, my experience. When I was 10 years old, being hidden in the shadows, I watched my father being beaten with a lead pipe. Why? I don't remember. I just know, I didn't recognize the man. I was standing only 10 feet away. I can remember, clear as day, the man yielding that pipe high over his head and bringing it crashing down on my Father who was laying on the ground. I remember the his screams, I remember his blood spurting.

Did this experience make me more sensitive to human suffering?? I don't think so. Would have it been better than I had been 14 when I witnessed this? Less traumatizing?? No way. And, I hope that my children NEVER have to see something like that, EVER!

How many people would want their children, even at 14 or older, to witness such a thing???

I mean, if you think watching people, especially children, being butchered in front of their eyes is a GOOD thing for your kids, well, then, go for it! Have a field day!

Andee

192

Name that TV program

by WildHorses in

jw
friends

i was at work tonight and we were joking around and talking about old shows we used to watch while growing up.

i thought it would be fun if we wrote a line from a show and see if we could guess what show it came from.

my name is lenny, and if i ain't got it, there isn't any.

Andee

come on, guys???

"Methodists. My Father referred to them as Baptists that could read"

Okay, another hint.

"In that moment, I realized that my brother had become an artist"

Not a comedy. A very bittersweet movie.

Waiting! You have to know this one!

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

Andee

Hi Mommy,

Just wanted to let you know I agree about the whole sheltered life thing and race. My kid has friends from just every back ground. For us, race is just not an issue.

See my explaination to Expat about the sex comparison. Just trying to make a point. We sometimes tend to shrug our shoulders at the violence our children might witness and say it's a part of life, but bring up sex, especially in schools, and people really get their dander up. I think that both subjects have great impact on how a child views themselves and the world.

I do believe that children should learn about the Holocaust. I watched a movie on HBO (sorry, can't remember the name) about a rich New York Jewish girl who thought the Jewish traditions were silly. When she went to her families Seder, she had a dream that she was back in those times in a concentration camp. It wasn't violent, but the story had a powerful impact on my daughter. The horrible conditions, sickness, and fear. However, I would never allow her to see Schindler's List. I know many adults that had much difficulty sitting through that, myself included. My daughter would be devastated even if she could sit through it. That would just place too much of a burden on her.

I agree that it is up to each parent to decide what their child is ready for. However, so many parents just don't give a damn and it infuriates me. However, I KNOW you are certainly not one of those.
I think we just try to do the best we can and cross our fingers.

Andee

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

Andee

Expatbrit,

I regret that you do not see my point. That point being that sex is also apart of life. People that believe that children should be exposed to violence to "develop" their empathy, would never allow their children to participate in a class like that. Is sex worse than gore and violence? Just something to think about.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about kids in the west being aware of the plight many children in the world live. I really try to teach my daughter how lucky she is and that many children only dream of the life she has. We do what we can to help others, as we live rather modestly ourselves.

When she is exposed to images of other children suffering, we talk, and I try to help her understand some of the cruel realities of the world. Do I think I can shelter her from everything? No way. However, I am going to do my damnest to try. Yes! I am one of those parents that believes that childhood ought to be protected. As long as I have the power, I am going to do it. I make no apologies for that. As she gets older I will allow her to be exposed to those terrible things that I think that she can handle. I can guarantee it ain't gonna be children being skewered on a pitchfork when she is 14!

I believe that adults, not children, ought to carry the burden of witnessing violent atrocities. And for adults to deliberately dump that burden on them before they are ready is revolting.

Andee

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

Andee

Mommy,

A car accident is just that, an accident. My children and I were in a head on accident 10 months ago. Luckily, they were not seriously hurt, but I was. Yes, they had to see the blood and gore.
Yes, they were extremely upset seeing their Mommy in that condition.
However, there is a big difference between that and if they witnessed someone deliberately harming me. They knew it was an accident and the harm was unintented.

Of course all of us do not know what is waitng for us around the corner. However, to deliberately expose our children to violent images in which they are clearly not emotionally ready to cope with is appalling.

Andee

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

Andee

First off, 14 year olds are not young adults. They are CHILDREN starting to make that agonizing transition into adulthood.However, the are still children.

As for the boys laughing; that comes as no suprise to me. Why? because what 14 year old boy, no matter how horrific the material he is viewing, is going to allow his schoolmates see him cry.
The teasing that would follow would be torture.

As for everyone that thinks that children ought to get a nice big dose of real life, because we can't shelter them anyway, I offer this for your consideration:

What if the subject of the class instead of the Holocaust, was Having Sex? Instead of watching videos of people being lined up to be exterminated, they would be required to watch at least three porn flicks and then write about their feelings. Now, mind you, not that silly soft variety, but the XXX stuff.

Next, students would be required to take off all of their clothes in front of each other just to get a feel of what it's like.

Finally, they are required to read a sexually explicit book. Then, write a report on it.

Now, why on earth would anyone have a problem with that???? Our children are bombarded daily with sexual images. Let's teach them how it is in the REAL world. Watching strangers having sex is certainly no worse than watching strangers slaughter each other, is it?

Andee

55

Feedback needed please

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

my sister in-law is a 10th grade honors student.

she is 14 and currently enrolled in english ii - a required course.

she and her fellow students are studing the holocaust in thier honors english class.. the teacher has instructed them to do the following:.

Andee

If your sister-in-law were my kid, this is what I would do.

First off, I would call the teacher, the principal, the superintendent, and the school board and inform them that I will not allow my child to complete some of the assignments. I would expect her to be given alternative assignments that would be given the same credit as to the assignments that originally given. If any of the above people balk, I will then go to the press, ACLU, and every other organization that might help me publicize some of these clearly outrageous tasks.

I, like you, Moe, find the child being tossed then murdered by impalement to be particularly disturbing. That would give ME nightmares! I would go to the mat with the school before I would EVER allow my kid to watch that. I truly question the sanity of your Sister-in-Laws instructor. What value is there in viewing such heinous acts? Does this woman have children of her own???

Now, the books and boxcar assignment don’t bother me as much. Books at least keep the violence at a distance. The boxcar I think is interesting, actually. 14? I’m on the fence about that age doing such a thing.. I’m thinking maybe more at the age of 16 or older. I think that, perhaps, children this young cannot cope with powerful emotions such an experience might bring.

As far as the news and movies that depict war and violence. My children are still relatively young. However, I try to never let them see the local news. It’s just one act of violence after another. Children do not have the life experience or the point of reference to put these events in proper perspective. They get the impression that the world around them is much more violent than it actually is.

As for seeing movies such as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN or SCHINDLER’S LIST, imho, no one under the age of 18 should see them. For the same reasons that I stated for the local news. These stories are based on real experiences and kids know it. It’s not the same as seeing some slasher movie. How often have we, even as adults, comforted ourselves when we watch a violent fictional movie or TV show by telling ourselves, or our children, “it’s not real, it’s not real blood, he or she didn’t really die”?

If watching these acts is intended to teach empathy, then why is it that so many people that experience war and violence first hand, become to harden to human suffering?? One would think that these people would be the most sensitive of all.

Andee

23

Having Children Inside vs Outside The Organizatio

by Ranchette in

jw
friends

i feel cheated because i wouldnt know what its like to experience pregnancy and the birth of my children the way it was meant to be.. a completely natural and joyous event in human life was sabotaged by this religion!.

im sure there are others who know what i mean.. i would be interested to hear stories of others who have had children both inside and out of this organization.. i would like to explain what i mean.. i was raised as a witness and was always expected to be an example.

from as far back as i can remember we were taught that armageddon was just around the corner.

Andee

Ranchette,

Your story, along with LDHs, just break my heart. Here you are, pregnant, a time when there should be joy, and there is attempt to make you feel shame for it!

What I find ironic is how the society views such things as vasectomies, and then JWs make having children seem like such an reckless choice.

I was fortunate to not have to go through what the both of you did.
I only had to deal with one nasty comment. Even then, it wasn't said to me directly, because if it had, my outrage would have made the eruption of MT St. Helens look like a pimple popped.

Dear ole JW Daddy said to my step-mother while I was pregnant with my second child; "I don't understand why she keeps having children, they are just going to die". Of course, she couldn't WAIT to share it with me.

Andee

52

JW couple beats daughter to death

by saltiest in

jw
friends

i just read this article in the chicago sun times.

when i started reading the parents were religious and then saw home-schooling, i had a gut feeling they were jw's.

i read on and found out i was right.

Andee

This is to Marilyn,

I'm not sure what country you live in, but here in the US if a JW parent refuses blood for their child the MD or hospital will get an emergency court order to override the parents decision. The kid WILL get the blood. That is why you don't hear of court cases against JW parents in the US regarding this issue.

I remember talking with one social worker at a children's hospital and asking about that. He said that "we just tell the parents to let Jehovah get mad at US" when blood was administered to their child.

Andee

52

JW couple beats daughter to death

by saltiest in

jw
friends

i just read this article in the chicago sun times.

when i started reading the parents were religious and then saw home-schooling, i had a gut feeling they were jw's.

i read on and found out i was right.

Andee

This story is, indeed, extremely sickening.

However, the JW's do not have the market cornered on beating their children to death in the name of religion. Christianity, especially fundamentalists, believe and regularly, apply harsh corporal punishment as the means to discipline children.

Ok, now that I have written that, I hope those sick bastards get everything that is coming to them.

Andee