OK before i start i know my mum was um "special" and had some, well...... bizzare training ideas.
I was one of 7 kids, Dad didnt help much coz he was sick, so my mum was left to run the 'ship' and she did it with an iron fist.
We were NEVER late for a meeting we sat, parents and 2 kids in one row the other 5 in row in front. We didnt move a muscle, or whisper if you did mum got out her wooden spoon and wacked us across the ears. If you did too much you got taken out the back with spoon and given more smacks.
We HAD to put up our hands to anwser at least 10 times though any meeting. No exceptions! If you didn't know the answer you were told to say" i dont know".
Lesson
Pay attention at the meetings
I remember one Christmas we were watching 'as a family' some Christmas show (don't know why, coz we didn't celebrate it). After it was finished mum said "why dont you hang up your socks on the fireplace".
Ok pretty weird, didn't understand why she would say that, we questioned her why, she simply said "if you want to do it", so we all went to our rooms found socks, hung them up thinking mum would put in some lollies or something.
Next morning we checked, she had poured in oil from Dad's shed (which we had to wash out), she then lined us all up (we aged from 4 to 14) and beat the crap out of us.
Lesson
We should have known the right thing to do regardless of what anyone said to us.
We went witnessing EVERY weekend, rain hail or shine sick or dying we never missed. No one ever helped, so mum and dad split the kids between them, or if mum alone she took 3 kids the other 4 split in twos and went alone. We would be scared senseless walking around at ages 7 to 12 alone. mum would say dont worry you know more than anyone who comes to the door even if its a pastor, you have the truth.
Lesson trust in Jehovah.
We studied the watchtower/book for 2-3 hours with her every week so we could have good answers. regardless of what was happening in our lives.
Remember being in my room, licking my wounds from a beating, mum comes to my room big smile on her face "ok time to study"
lesson you will learn about jehovah like it or lump it
Beatings where a fact of life for us kids. It always involved a piece of wood, mum holding one of our arms and belting us on any/all parts of our body. Over and over till we were left bruised. And you know we werent bad kids, i've racked my brain and i cant think of anything that bad, the worse thing i can remember doing was not returning a necklace i was lent by a friend at school.
One of my sisters at age 10 had everything she owned except clothes thrown in the bin. Her crime didnt want give her toys to some little kids mum was babysitting.
lesson jehovah likes people who share.
Two of my sisters came home to find everything they owned on the footpath, locks changed on house. One sister had slept with her boyfriend the other just didnt want to go to the meetings anymore.
Lesson obey jehovah or life with your family is over. And no you dont get time to find somewhere safe to live.
Could go on about other of her training but they are some of those that were training us to be JW.
