Awake magazine - Statements Made Minimize Children's Feelings

by flipper 10 Replies latest jw friends

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  flipper

  I recieved the August 2007 Awake from a man I anti witnessed to about child molestation. Couldn't help but see a disturbing paragraph about acknowledging children's feelings. It went , I quote:

  Pg. 8 " Children are prone to express their thoughts and emotions in extreme terms. True, some of what children say is unsettling for parents to hear. For example, a frustrated child may say, " I hate my life. " A parent's instinctive response may be , " No you don't ! " Parents may worry that acknowledging a child's negative feelings or thoughts amounts to condoning them. " Then in small teeny writing at the bottom the footnote reads, " Take seriously any statements your children make about ending their life. "

  Yeah, do you think?? Why would they put the statement about your child ending it's life in a tiny footnote at the bottom of the page like it's so casual. Like, by the way, just a small reminder here friends, if you see your kids making these statements, you might want to pay attention. Thought we would throw in that footnote! Jeez, these people are so inappropriate! No wonder they have such a child abuse problem! Are they so disconnected from real life emotions, that they have to teach their parents how to acknowledge the kids feelings? And the governing body doesn't even do it right! Just shows they are not qualified to write this advice as it comes from old men sitting around the conference room tables old enough to have great grandchildren, but senile enough to be dangerous and out of touch with their "advice ". What is your opinion on this ? Would like to hear your views of the orgs. lack of caring for children. Everybody welcome! Peace to you, Mr. Flipper
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  Apostate Kate2

  Does it go on to say anything about validating a child's feelings?
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  PEC

  Sounds like another CYA. They don't want to be sued, for all of the abused children; that, decide not to wait for Armageddon to kill them. It's all about keeping the money.

  Philip
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  flipper

  APOSTATE KATE- Yes, they did say later in the article that parents should listen more to the whole story their children say and try to understand, however what got to me is they minimized the fact that if your child says they hate life, you might want to pay attention to it. They put that little snippet in italics , small writing at the bottom of the page, when it's a more important issue which should never be minimized. Peace.

  PEC- Yes, indeed do ya think they are doing a little damage control PR here ? Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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  OUTLAW

  Flipper.. 2 Elders can sit outside a house with a young unmarried couple in it and wait for the lights to go out.Then disfellowship them for fornication.No Witness`s needed!.....A child can be molested and those same 2 Elders will demand 2 Eye Witness`s before anything will be done.....In Watchtower World,children are more dispensable than the adults...OUTLAW
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  daniel-p

  Sounds like another stellar example of people who should NOT be giving family advice doing so.
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  flipper

  OUTLAW- I totally agree with you. Everything is backa$$wards for the witness organization. They totally protect adults and interrogate children like they are in the mafia or something. Children are dispensable to the witnesses. Just look at the molestation settlements. It's sick!

  DANIELP- The elders definitely are not qualified or educated through college or have recieved professional training on how to give family advice, thus they shouldn't do it, nor the Asleep magazine or the Keepblindtower
• 

  aSphereisnotaCircle

  Parents may worry that acknowledging a child's negative feelings or thoughts amounts to condoning them. "

  Notice how they suggest that some things you "should" feel, and that some things you "should not" feel.

  They also suggest that you might not want to acknowledge your child when they are feeling "negative"

  I'm sure someone here can break this down better then I can, but that is one effed up statment, on more then one level.
• 

  aSphereisnotaCircle

  Growing up JW, the message always came through loud and clear.

  Parents=good

  Children=bad
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  educ8self

  Yes you said it, they are disconnected from real life and emotions, and therefore there is no connection between the two either.

  Anyway, since when is acknowledging someone's feelings condoning anything? There are two different words because they are two different things - the feeling exists, it's a FACT. Condoning is actually neither here nor there, because it comes from an authoritarian perspective like this is okay and that is not okay, I'm the parent so what I go says.

  The essence of this is basically in direct contradiction to the idea of 'let the children come to me' and 'whoever wants to enter into the kingdom of the heavens must be like a young child.' They are destroying that innocence early, by disregarding children's experience in favor of programming with ones they consider acceptable.