Did you suffer humiliating childhood experiences as a JW? (page 2)

AnnOMaly

I remember one teacher who had it in for the JW kids, always gave us the stink-eye because we would not participate in religious class, and for every religious lesson made us sit in a row at the rear of classroom, with our backs to everyone, reading our WTS stuff (if we forgot it, we were told off and given a school Bible to read instead). It makes me angry now - so unnecessary (a couple of years later, JW parents allowed their kids to participate!!!) - and the teacher had no business taking it out on us - it wasn't our fault.

I also remember feeling humiliated when I brought home a black, paper witches hat I'd made and decorated. For some reason I joined in with the class in making Halloween stuff - maybe I was fed up of opting out all the damn time, or maybe I was persuaded (or persuaded myself?) that I could pretend it was something else not to do with witches, I'm not sure. Anyway, I was quite proud of the result and showed it off when I got home - "Look what I made!" You can imagine my 'demonophobic' mother's reaction (it was almost a repeat of the Sparlock video LOL). Disgust, bewilderment and disappointment at how I could have done such a dreadful thing after all I'd been taught. As I say, I felt crushed. I'd worked hard on it, liked it, wanted to play with it. However, my lovely pointy hat got trashed immediately.

Uncomfortable memories. And there are more of them. School was an ordeal. No wonder lots JW kids grow up to have low self-esteem.

blondie

The only case at school of an attempt to humiliate me re the flag salute was a teacher in middle school. I was new to the school, mid term, and he decided to re-instate the flag salute...no one in school had done it since grade school. He made it the class choice. Every one of the 30 students including me voted not to reinstate it. He called us unpatriotic. Then one boy stood up and said you only want to do this to embarrass Blondie because you know she's a Jehovah's Witness (my secret was out the first week!) What do you think we are babies?

It was great really, started school being popular with all the other students, truly. The teacher was reprimanded by the school administration but allowed to keep teaching. Through my government job later in life I found that this teacher was a bully, abused his own family, all of whom figuratively danced on his grave.

The only other event was being at a sporting event and not putting my hand over my heart and singing the national anthem. There were 2 drunken louts who were verbally abusive. A man in an Army uniform stepped forward and reamed them out and invited me to sit with his group, I was at a Navy/Army game and he was an instructor at West Point. I had a great seat and view of the game and went out to dinner with the group.

Could it be that I grew up in an era when protesters were many and respected by a portion of humanity.

ps My mother did talk to the principals and teachers respectfully about the flag salute, holidays, before my first day. If parents don't do that and a student seems to drop it on the teacher without warning, it creates problems. I was also told not to argue with the teacher but to tell her when I got home that day. I had many teachers that were respectful and concerned for my feelings. Much more than elders and other jws.

Kool Jo

The following were a couple of situations I found myself in:

1. At about age 8, a schoolmate had a birthday partyand invited about 40 persons...I was invited, my parents made arrangements for me to be dropped home early so as not to participate...as I was looking back into the yard, all I saw were happy faces.

2. Going D2D and met some school-mates (high school), of-course people were wondering what the hell I was doing on a day that I'm, suppose to be working on school assignments and getting rest.

Kool Jo

Bruja-del-Sol

When I was about 7 years old, the teacher celebrated his birthday with the class. Of course I wasn't allowed to participate, so I was sent to another class and the teacher of that class set me at a table in the front of the classroom with my back towards the class. I've felt so lonely and ashamed because of that...

A week later my teacher came to me right before I went home and he gave me a bag with candy... he saved it for me from his birthday party. I thought that was the sweetest thing, so I accepted it and ate it all before I got home. Of course I felt guilty after that, but the satisfaction and comfort it gave me that the teacher had actually been thinking of me was more important. Twenty years later I went back to my old school and met him again. He couldn't remember me, but I thanked him anyway for what he did for me. I'll never forget him, since he was the only person who actually cared about me during primary school.

kjg132

These stories make me feel so sad that I'm crying. I don't know why. I always felt ok about being "separate" and no one was especially mean about any of it. If kids made comments I would usually let it roll off my back. But I remember always being sent to the library during holiday stuff. I also remember the way it felt internally to sit every morning while everyone else saluted the flag. About holidays and birthdayds, I remember always telling people that I didn't feel left out, that it was fine with me, it was what I wanted. I remember hiding out in the bathroom during middle school when the pep rally's started. All the witness parents got together and decided we were not to attend. My parents were totally against school spirit. The list of things that were "wrong" was so long. I really did feel very different but I felt that it was ok because it was what was "right". Now when I think back, all I have to do is remember what it felt like to put my hand up and state my position or tell another student and I get this twisty feeling in my stomach automatically :(

BizzyBee

Field service in my neighborhood was so painful. Truly traumatic for a young, overly self-conscious child. In 7th grade my worst nightmare was realized - the boy I had a crush on came to the door with his dad. I wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow me up. Somehow I survived. But, I'll tell you, those experiences did not build character - they tore it down. Because I was required to stand up for principles that I did not understand nor believe in.

Princess Ashe

I sat in the library during pep rallies in high school. Then I finally end up going to one and see an elders 2 sons there! I justended up just going to the rest of them. It wasn't just one paticuliar instance of humiliation it was just the whole time feeling like not belonging. Friends would buy me Christmas gifts and I would feel bad because there was no way my mom would let me go to the store to get gifts for them so I ended up giving some off my used things from my room. 4th grade my mom came up for a field trip &she saw a picture of a bunny for Easter I had colored, she just said she was really disappointed in me. Its very conflicting emotions to deal with, what's right and wrong.

OUTLAW

JW childhood is one,long,humiliating experience..

..........................................OUTLAW

laverite

YES so true Outlaw. SOOOOO true.

Hard to pick a humiliating experience when you have a childhood full of them. I was horribly humiliated at the Kingdom Hall once. I was forced to go to the meeting as a teenager even though I was sick as a dog. I violenty puked my guts out at the hall during the opening song and prayer. Violent stomach illness during a prayer at the hall as a teenager was HUMILIATING. I just wanted to crawl under the ugly green shag carpet.

PS - I was rushed home after exposing the whole congregation to my illness. It seemed to have spread as the meeting attendance dropped dramatically over the next two meetings. Or, maybe they were terrified I'd show up again.

happy@last

During my first year at school my mum became a JW. The head teacher was incensed at me being excluded from assembly so made me sit right outside the school hall during school assembly and put the straws into everybody's milk bottles.

THen she married a JW pedo!

Did you suffer humiliating childhood experiences as a JW?

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