...Jehovah`s Witness Kids don`t miss Celebrating Birthdays,Christmas..ect..ect!!....

by OUTLAW 143 Replies latest jw friends

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  QuestioningEverything

  My mom is a great mom and always had fun stuff for us planned on the holiday breaks.-pajama parties, roller skate parties, etc. She wasn't an uber-JW then- we would go to families house on thanksgiving, 4th of july parties. I did feel funny returning to school after holiday breaks. Can't say I missed it because I thought it was the right thing to do, not celebrating.

  Now am trying to make up for the fact that my kids have missed out on the holidays. My son's are 11 and 16. We celebrated Christmas for the first time in December 2008. It was wonderful!! I want them to feel like everyone else and feel sorry it's taken me so long to do it.
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  isaacaustin

  really the bottom line is this- Paul clearly leaves the obserarvances of day, such as Christmas up to the individual. Birthdays are nowhere condemned in the Bible...it takes twisted Wt explanations to demonize that. The WT picks and chooses what a JW can and can not do. Wedding anniversaries can be outlawed on the same logic as b-days, but they are not since a JW would generally observe this with another Witness. B-days/holidays involve children at school/workmates..etc. The WT separates kids at a young age so they won't fit in and have nowehre else to turn to. Truth of the matter (as I am sure Reniaa will deny)- if the GB announced tomorrow that b-day and holidays were up to the individual...a great majority of JW would observe.
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  Nowman

  I always wanted to celebrate the Holidays, I got tired of my friends at school asking me why I don't paticipate. I got tired of it because I went to so many different schools. My parents would always take me shopping during Xmas break for new clothes so that I had something new to wear at school to ease the pain. Yet, because they beat the crap out of me, I suppose they did it out of gulit looking back on it.

  One year, they woke me up at 2:00am in the morning and told me we were going on a surprise vacation. When on the plane, the pilot said we were landing in Orlando, I asked my mom & dad, where is Orlando, what language do they they speak there-LOL. We obviously went to Disney World.

  On some Halloweens, my non-JW aunt would sneak and take me trick-or treating, she would just use a little makeup, she made me a cat, or a mouse just my face only just so I could have a little fun.

  My parents always reminded me of the 2 people in the bible that celebrated B-days, yadda yadda...how silly to think if it now.

  Nikki
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  Anne

  When I was in fourth grade my teacher was so disturbed by my having to leave for birthdays, holidays, etc, that she created reasons to have other parties. As a child I didn't realize it, but in hind-site she went out of her way to include me. I contacted her a few years ago and thanked her. She had a friend growing up who was raised JW, and didn't want any of her students to feel left out like her friend had been.

  My parents were and still are dirt poor. I was an outsider due to socio-economic status, then throw in the goofy religion with it's birthday cake hating rules and I was an absolute pariah.

  My parents did try a very little. They had family day (somewhat inconsistently) on their wedding anniversary. As a parent I find that really offensive. Their marriage is so important that they can worship it, but the birth of their children (and grandchildren) is of no importance.
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  Nowman

  Wow Anne, that is so great about your 4th grade teacher! Then you thanked her..good story.

  Nikki
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  OUTLAW

  Wow!..Cool teacher!..........I had a teacher that tried to include me..I was too afraid of my JW Parents,to let myself be included..There would have been hell to pay...................................OUTLAW
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  dig692

  From someone who spent the first 20 years of her life as a non-JW, spent 2 years in, and now am 4 years out and going strong, its been my experience at least with my family, that the celebrations weren't so much for the holiday as they were for getting the whole family together to fellowship and eat and laugh and just be happy.

  It was always so difficult to get my whole family together for BBQ's or picnics or what have you because everyone worked different days and different schedules so there would always be a few people missing. But when the holidays came around it was guaranteed that everyone had at least 1 day off and that was when we'd have our family celebration.

  I was lucky enough to never have to miss them as a child, but as a 20 year old adult I became the 1 missing familly member at every gathering. I know it hurt my family, and it pretty much ate me up inside, not that I had to miss the holiday (to be honest I didn't care if it was christmas or thanksgiving or easter) or the presents, but because I was missing my family. I don't know how it goes for young children but if they have some family in and some family out, I bet it hurts them just as much to not be a part of the WHOLE family. Just my thoughts.
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  dinah

  My Dad was never a Witness, so I had it easy.

  YOU try telling my Dad he can't buy his only child a Christmas or Birthday present. Good luck with that! (Did I say luck? my bad)

  I was always with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents for every holiday.

  Mom guilted me into not doing Halloween.

  Great thread, Outlaw!
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  sooner7nc

  If you were surrounded by Jews but did none of their celebrations would you have missed them?

  Do english JWs miss having a thanksgiving even though only people in america celebrate it?

  Did the israelites miss all the egyptian celebrations when they left with moses?

  what are you actually missing?

  Party's? Presents? Fun toys and games? Or just being the same as others?

  I know many witness kids whose parents made a real effort to keep alternates things flowing with fun as I do. My kids may one day want to comform with the (insert whatever countries celebrations the majority observe) here but I think this not just about missing a few parties but more about the perception of People thinking they've missed out.

  Reniaa

  Reniaa, I attended the same smalltown school for 12 years. There were no other JW kids in my hometown, and so the only children that I could really identify with, and interact with on a daily basis, were the kids I was in school with. Everyday I knew that I was different, that the things that I did, that my family did, weren't the same as what all my classmates did. We were taught things, horrible things, that were supposed to happen to these young children that I was with everyday. These were my friends, and I was taught that they were things to be abhorred because their beliefs differed from what I was led to beleive. As the years rolled by, I watched these "things" celebrate holidays, birthdays and the like, and what I saw was not greedy expectation of presents to come, or mindless joy, but my friends, that I cared for very much, behaving normally, loving their families and each other, and generally not being what I had been taught to beleive they were.

  So, to answer your question, yes I wanted to be like them, normal.

  By the way, F*%K OFF!
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  dinah

  Jesus Christ on a Cracker! If we ignore her, she will go away!