Having been out of the organisation for over 4 years and having finally released my kids from the hellish existance that is life as a JW, it struck me today how enjoyable our weekends are in comparison to when we were JW's.
The weekends are vital for us just now. My wife doesn't work but I work full time from very early in the morning. I don't get to see my beutiful children in the morning during the week. When I get home I have a bit time to spend with my wife or doing other chores around the house & then the kids roll in from school. Homework, dinner, bath time, next days lunch making, grass cutting, plant watering, & it's bed time again.
Friday-Sunday is such a welcome change from that. Don't get me wrong, I love my work & I love our Mon-Fri routine. But it is taxing. It's tiring.
Friday is a fun day. We stay up late & have chocolate fondue. We lie in for a while on a Saturday and I enjoy morning cuddles from my wee kids. I cook breakfast & then we go out for the day which is lovely in this warm sunny Scottish weather . On a Saturday night I feel no pressure to be in bed early so we have some drinks & treat the kids to a late night & some TV.
On a Sunday we have a nice relaxing day & we treat our kids if we can afford it. In the morning they like to watch cartoons.
When we were witnesses, a Friday was so utterly depressing. Knowing that we would have to haul our ass around the doors with 2 small infants who were just wanting to run around mad but were trussed up in f***ing dresses & suits. At 3 years old! Even worse, you would have to validate your families spirituality by making sure that the kids would do a presentation or something at the arrangement. At 3 years old!
The rest of the day was spent in the shadow of the upcoming early rise of Sunday morning to once again get trussed up like a turkey & head off to the Kingdom grill to have your sorry ass exposed as a shithouse of a christian who needed to do more, more, more! And hell mind you if the entire families Watchtowers hadn't been studied & marked up! Sitting all shy, not wanting to answer so that the microphone prince wouldn't see that you hadn't bothered your arse to study the healing words of mother!
If you were a real sluggard then you would leave the hall without going out on 'the work' because your kids are tired already & also hungry. How you would punish yourself on the way home as a useless shithouse of a family head because you wanted to eat your lunch in relative freedom, outwith the judgemental eye of your fellow miserable sunday ministry arrangement-goers. Even worse you might want to spend the rest of sunday in some sort of sinful 'recreation' such as sandcastle making with your kids on the local beach.
How times have changed for me. I love my weekends now & I truely make 'each day count'.
I love my life now & I can clearly see that my kids are happy too.
Jehovah's Witnesses deprive children of a proper childhood in my opinion. It's criminal.
When your children are all grown up, that time is gone. Lost forever.
Jehovah's Witnesses - Do you make 'each day count' for you and your family?