JW CHILDREN GET PRESENTS ALL THROUGH THE YEAR. REALLY?????

NAVYTOWN

Is it really true that JW children get gifts 'all through the year', not just for Christmas and birthdays like non- JW kids? As stingy as most JWs are, I find that very hard to believe. Plus the childhood magic of Christmas and birthdays is totally absent in JW households. Do any current or former JWs have any opinions about this??

Over%forme

I am a former JW and speaking for myself,

I wanted my Kids to have whatever I

thought they wanted. They had what most

"worldy" kids had. We were not rich but

not poor either.

designs

We did as JW parents. I took the kids in the KH on field trips and camping trips all through the year. We made sure to have lots of our kids friends over for the weekends. We still have the tree houses and forts the boys built on our property.

Band on the Run

I did not get presents all year. The mere statement makes me angry. There may be JW kids somewhere who received presents all year but I was never one. In fact, after a certain age the neighborhood kids refused to play with us. We had no heavy weaponry. If I did not have my brother, I would have been so lonely. We made imaginary toys. My younger brother knew how to make imaginary guns to play cowboys and Indians with your hands and clicking noises.

We rarely had balls. In fact, we lived only a few blocks from county tennis courts with free lessons. Some kids went on to do tournaments. My father said it was too worldly so we enrolled but never had lessons. One on one lessons. Free. Short walk. Safe park.

Kids on welfare had more toys. I wondered why I wasn't good enough to get toys.

Bob_NC

Sure. Just like families discuss the daily text at the breakfast table like you see demonstrated at assemblies. Sure we got presents all year.

Mickey mouse

Um no. That old chestnut was trotted out lots though, especially when a householder would comment that not celebration Christmas was hard on JW kids.

joyfulfader

Nope. No presents all the time but I had/have the most fantastic mother that gave me her time. She took me to art galleries, symphonies, pottery classes and libraries. No presents can or could ever be better than that. JW or not she is the best mom a girl could have.

As a single, younger widowed woman it is hard to do that with my own child but when I see things she would like I buy them. For her bday this year she told me she could think of nothing she wanted because she was completely happy with her life. Made my heart smile.

snare&racket

I remember we had £10 to spend in a local city on a day out. My brother bought jeans, I bought a board game from a stall. That was our present day in high school. I remember lying to school mates and saying we got £100 to spend instead of Christmas, thinking I had an impressive lie. They laughed and said that £100 wasn't very much. I remember feeling really bad for lying, but worse that in reality we only had £10. I felt it was ungreatful to feel gutted about it. Screwy hey!

I remember persuading my folks to order a games console (SNES) one January sale, it came, it sat by the door, I could touch the box! I had saved and bought a controller as it didnt come with one...but it went back.... "Can't afford it." The controller sat in my draw for a few years.

When I was 15 I bought my own playstation one by getting it from a neighbours catalogue (jw) mowing lawns and cleaning an old sisters garden/house. Took me 2 years to pay it off, £3.50 a week.

I remember when I was 14, saving my own money from working on a paper round £30 a month, i saved for MONTHS and had £150 and I bought an electric guitar, a black Fender and a little amp. I was told it was a "waste of money" when I bought it.

My parents have now left the JW's and have also divorced, they celebrate christmas with their new families, who both have younger kids. I know it upsets some of my siblings, but that's life. Time wont go backwards for anyone....

Some JW kids get gifts, spoilt, nice things, a 'first car' etc etc. But most JW's have made them self poor by lifestyle choice and there was a lot of poor people in the congs we were in, so most JW kids have nowhere near what other kids get. Also keep in mind, most kids toys, fads are 'unchristian'.

Apognophos

Though we didn't have much money, I always had some toys -- mostly bought secondhand or inherited, but kids don't really care about that. More importantly, we did travel a bit and camp out from time to time, which made for more valuable memories than having a few action figures anyway.

LisaRose

I did give my kids presents several times through the year. I know not all parents did, but I didn't want my kids to feel they were deprived because of being JWs

JW CHILDREN GET PRESENTS ALL THROUGH THE YEAR. REALLY?????

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