Well, perhaps I am too old to blame my parents and Dr. Phil would tell me to move on, however, I do.
My mother single handedly brought our family to destruction by adhereing to the JW demands.
She has lost contact with her younger sister over 30 years ago. Her sister was having an affair with a married man. My mother told her she was immoral and a bad association and cut off contact. My aunt, 22 years old with two children from her first marriage (which ended when her husband beat the shit out of her), had no one helping her. She was broke with no job skills; a man offers her a job to pose for pics next to his line of bath products. She also was his mistress. None of her family stepped up to offer support during a very hard time. Til this day my aunt will not speak to my mother. I don't blame my aunt for not talking to my mother.
As a result of cutting off her youngest sister she alienated the other two. They were JW but willing to turn a blind eye to their sis's behavior. They could not give her money, however, they could give her emotional support. Now my mother has no contact with them or their families either. Neither do I. I have tried and been brushed off.
This is one of many relationships destroyed by the borg. I have family I have never met due to "bad associations."
The only positive thing that happened was when my father left. My mother was broke. She went to the elders and they paid the mortgage on our home ($238.00 in 1974) for 1 month. She then got on welfare and found a job within 6 months. The welfare covered the house payment and food stamps covered food.
That was it. Over the years everyone of my immediate family was DF'd. Including my mother. Who was reinstated.
I did not have JW friends growing up....I had no friends because of the "bad association" lable.
She seems to have doubts about it all...however, she has no other friends or family. She cut everyone off and now is stuck.
I blame my mother for falling for the 1966 "ARMAGEDDON is around the corner" lie. She fell for it. My dad was always in it just to make her happy.
I blame my father for not even trying to protect us from a harmful religion. The shunning we faced at school, the lack of educational goals, the inability to have or make friends, the list goes on.
They made incredibly bad decisions as parents. I blame them for that. I do not feel sorry for them.
I hated going door to door at age 5. I begged not to. No, you must. I had to read the Paradise book before homework. I blame them for thinking that education was a waste of time.
They were young adults when they made the decision to become JW. My mother was 26, my father was 27. They have to bear some responsibilty for disrupting their children's lives in such a detrimental manner.
