Part One is here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24348&site=3
My mom was studying with a woman named Cheryl who lived around the corner from us. Cheryl's daughter was the same age as me. Her name was Jennifer. Jennifer studied with me out of the 'My Book Of Bible Stories'. I didn't view it as a study, though. After each chapter we would act the parts out. It was kind of fun. Jennifer and I never became good friends but she was nice.
Dilema's
As my mom and sister started to really get into being JW's, my life slowly began to change. We now only semi-celebrated the holidays. In fact, two last-holiday-celebrations come to mind. My last Christmas celebrated was a disaster. (Actually, I was usually cheated out of presents anyway because my birthday (January 1st) is so close to Christmas.) All I wanted that Christmas was the NFL Electric Football Game. You know the one. You plug it in and it makes this loud, vibrating noise and the plastic football men move all over the game surface. That game was all I wanted for Christmas.
On Christmas day, I woke up and saw the big box. It had the right shape and size to be the football game I wanted! I was sooooo excited I could barely open it! As I was tearing away at the wrapping, my excitement changed to disappointment. It was not the football game I so eagerly anticipated. No, it was a hockey game. It was the game with the knobs and you swat the puck back and forth. Not air hockey...rather it was an NHL game with cardboard hockey players. Keep in mind that my neighborhood was 90% black and hockey was not a game we played or even watched. We only liked football, basketball, and (believe it or not) baseball. What were my parents thinking???
My birthday came a week after this disappointment. I was under the impression that I was no longer going to be celebrating my birthday. For an unknown reason, many kids from my neighborhood were hanging around with me outside of my house. My mom called me and my friends inside. To my total surprise (and my friends were all in on this!!!) my mother had a birthday party for me! I remember she had an ice cream cake (mint chocolate chip) and I also remember she handed out packs of Fruit Stripe gum. Amazingly, I can't remember what gifts I received except for the fact that I did not get that football game! LOL!
The dilema's that I would face came from me wanting to celebrate holiday's and not being able to, having to make new friends and ending existing friendships, knocking on the doors of strangers with strangers and not wanting to, and, lastly, believing that I would never make it to the age of 16 because of this imminent Armageddon thing.
About My Dad...
My dad wasn't thrilled about us (me, mom, sister, and older brother) studying with JW's. However, he didn't strongly oppose. My dad used to smoke 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He was an intimidating man. He looked like a now-deceased pro-wrestler (okay, he looked a little like a better looking Andre the Giant). He never beat us. He rarely spanked us. He could simply give us a look or a yell and we would behave like angels!
Ironically, my dad studied with the Witnesses when he was a teen. He gave talks and even helped build a Hall on Broad Street in North Philadelphia. He had some doubts about it being the 'truth' so he never got baptized. His best friend, a JW, cut his ties with my dad when my dad din't progress as a JW. This bothered my dad for many years to come. More irony, today (2002) this 'best friend' of my dad's has been DF'd for years.
Not Sticking To The Rules
Surprisingly, my mom didn't force me to end my associations with my non-JW friends. I was able to hang out with them, sleep over their house, play games, etc. Perhaps my dad had something to do with this, I really don't know. At the same time, I made new friends at the Hall. Happily, badwillie and I became great (best?) friends.
At the hall, I was Biggs the JW kid. At home with my non-JW friends I was just as 'worldly' as the next kid (minus the celebrating of holidays and birthdays). I even used profanity. I also used to sneak out on Halloween and go trick or treating! :o)
Fight The Power
Being extremely light-skinned, I was the target of a lot of bullying. Sometimes I had to fight 5 kids at once. Sometimes I'd win the fights, sometimes I'd lose. Either way, we always made up within minutes after the fight.
A few months after I turned 9, my mom and dad told us that they were expecting another child. I wanted a baby sister in the worst way but we had to settle for a boy.
I loved being a big brother. I changed diapers, gave baths, did some feeding (using a bottle!), and babysat. I vowed to never allow my baby bro to get picked on. I was going to be his protector!
Why the need for a protector?
Tomorrow you will learn the answer to this question.
Part THREE: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24426&site=3
Part FOUR: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24507&site=3
Edited for typos!
