My mom got our family into JW in 1970. Dad was 17 years in Coast Guard. We were in Alaska. Dad was gone 30 days at a time, mom home with us two little kids under age of 4. Long winters alone, Special Pioneers from the KH down the street and the rest is history.
Mom baptized, gave dad the ultimatum. One more move, probably Seattle, and he found have retired before age 40, gotten a Federal job, retired by age 60 with 2 pensions. Instead, he got dunked, quit the CG. We moved back to his hometown in Illinois, and we struggled until he died...short of his 60th birthday. Still believing this shit.
I gave up a chance to go to Ranken Tech in St. Louis right when computers were taking off. Local PO even offered to loan my folks the money. He believed in trades. Somehow that was derailed by my dad. Menial jobs for both of us after that. He finally got a good job with the city, but the financial damage was done.
I eventually went to college 10 years ago at age 39. Those 2 degrees and $3 will get me a coffee at Panera. Of course, if not for studying for college at Panera, I wouldn'the have met my future wife who worked there at the time.
At least something good came of my path out of the cult.
Snakes (Rich