Hi new boy.
I was 19 when my mother left the truth in spectacular fashion. I can't begin to tell you how betrayed and hurt it made me feel. Betrayal because my mother told me she had wanted to leave for yrs and yet still continued to push jw rules onto us right up until she left.
I felt she was a hypocrite. I was so turned off her that it still affects me to this day - and I am now 46. So anyone that says that the kids just need to get over it have no idea what they are talking about.
Why does it still hurt a bit?
We trust our parents and like to think they are putting their children's interests above their own. They know how hard life can be and therefore would want their kids to have a decent education instead of holding them back, just as an example.
Then there are all the things you would have loved to do when you were young but were always stopped from doing. There are so many jw kids with talents that went completely wasted, yet we just had to suck it up and find a way to kill off the burning desire to pursue activities we were drawn to and that we may have excelled in.
Your son may be feeling that if he had a chance to chase his dreams, life would be better for him. Of course, this is debatable, however, it's something that we'll never know.
As we get older we realise how important it is to start early when trying to accomplish anything and unfortunately, it's a chance most young jws don't get. We are then in the position of being years behind others before we start.
I hope this helps provide some insight.
