Are my parents to strict?

[sfloggie]

Cub,
You do not leave your religion behind when you join the military. It is a great choice, especially the Air Force. I was Army, but the Air Force has a great field in what you want.

Here is an extract from a flyer:

" The Air Force operates with a number of different job specialties, but none are as important as the firefighting and emergency careers. The specialty that makes sure that situations are resolved safely and who fights fire and deals with emergency situations is the Air Force Fireman and emergency firefighter. The job specialty is a fast paced, highly trained skill set that provides fire and rescue services and fire suppression skills. You may be called upon to work to prevent fire on a variety of Air Force Facilities located around the world, as well as fighting outbreaks of fire as they occur on Air Force locations.

Can You Take the 践eat?

The career selection of Air Force Firefighter is one that has a candidate ready for emergency action. A member of the Emergency Firefighter Career will be the personnel used to assist in rescue and search operations, as well as participating in fire suppression and emergency response. It is a fast paced career that involves a number of different skills and procedures that you will become expert in. You will be required to ensure different aspects of the Air Force mission, and to help insure that safety procedures and environmental readiness operations are maintained. You will be assigned to assist in providing support and emergency medical care, and may be tasked to participate in training and drills to assist battlefield soldiers in disaster drills and emergency planning.

You will fight fire on Air Force buildings, and on Air Force Aviation facilities. Some of the tasks that you will be required to participate in include: specialized training in chemical, radiological, and biological training, maintaining and operating various equipment and emergency firefighting equipment. You may be the Fire Marshall on an Air Force facility, or deal with a number of Fire Marshall responsibilities as a military situation Fire Marshall. It is not a job for the Faint hearted; you will work to train and master skills, as you become a trained and qualified firefighter. You will often be a qualified Emergency First Responder, and work to assist in damage control and other firefighter tasks."

My Father said no Army and he was Army. He died when I was young and I joined although I had a four year paid college. I stayed in 27.5 years and it was some of the best time of my life. It also helped me as I was very young.

When 18, check it out. The recruiter can help you with your parents if you explain to him or her the full story.

Best to you,
Jim

 

[Domush]

Well, except for the Jehovahs Witnesses and everything, we have a lot in common.

I am 17, homeschooled, and a firefighter.

I fear the JW part is what drastically separates your family from his.

My advice, learn to submit or accept the fact you have a family which sees you as a possession and not a free individual. Sorry you were born into such a situation, but it was the one you got, so now you have a choice to make, either start a new life or accept you are living the life your parents dictate for you.

I happened to move next to an entire extended family of JW and, being an outside observer, have seen the damage inflicted by it. I see a family of people so dedicated to being devoted followers of a dusty old book, they have forgotten to be a supportive family.

Do what you want in your life, as it's the only one you get. Don't let others live your life for you. If you want to remain a jw and follow the faith, then do it and stop complaining you have no freedom. Following, by definition, means having no say. If you wish to experience life, then move out ASAP and begin living your life, not the life your parents demand of you.

Leaving family behind is really hard, but wasting your life by not living it is a permanent mistake you cannot fix. You are coming up on the most exciting years of your life, do what you want to do and realize friends are the family you choose.

And don't fall for the "living under their roof, so you have no rights" line of bull. Your parents chose to have you and it is their responsibility to ensure your well being, and that includes your emotional well being. If they are forcing you to live within their beliefs, they are not supporting you, but attempting to force you to become a mini version of them. Be you, screw anyone who tries to stop you. After all, by forcing you into a bubble of religious indoctrination they have been screwing you for years.

People deserve the respect they give, and your parents are not respecting your choices. Sure, guidance is a good thing, but banning friends outside a religion has no rational basis beyond indoctrination, which is hardly in your best interests. After all, if their religious faith were worth anything they would encourage you to learn about the outside world.

Sorry if this seems harsh, I just hate seeing children used as property instead of raised as individuals. Your parents are wrong to stifle your personal growth and the rules of their beliefs in magic are written to ensure they never change from that mindset. Sorry, they will likely never become people who encourage you to live a full life. It isn't allowed in the religion they chose to obey.

Best of luck, and be sure to do plenty of reading outside of the church materials you are handed. There is a whole universe out there, you just have to walk into it. For you this will almost certainly mean your parents will disown you. Don't take it as a reflection of you, it was their conscious choice to put you in this position. Family should be supportive of you. If they aren't supportive, they are only relatives, not family.

Your parents know the horrid position they are putting you in. They have raised you to put family first and are now cashing in on your guilt by threatening you with banishment for living the life you want. If you did that to someone else, do you think you would deserve their respect and love?

I know you are caught in the middle and it is hard to see this objectively, but try to imagine how you would react if a stranger gave you the same ultimatums. Parents are people who had sex and popped out a kid. Don't confuse lineage with love.

Best wishes.

 

[Cub124]

Cub,
You do not leave your religion behind when you join the military. It is a great choice, especially the Air Force. I was Army, but the Air Force has a great field in what you want.

Here is an extract from a flyer:

" The Air Force operates with a number of different job specialties, but none are as important as the firefighting and emergency careers. The specialty that makes sure that situations are resolved safely and who fights fire and deals with emergency situations is the Air Force Fireman and emergency firefighter. The job specialty is a fast paced, highly trained skill set that provides fire and rescue services and fire suppression skills. You may be called upon to work to prevent fire on a variety of Air Force Facilities located around the world, as well as fighting outbreaks of fire as they occur on Air Force locations.

Can You Take the 践eat?

The career selection of Air Force Firefighter is one that has a candidate ready for emergency action. A member of the Emergency Firefighter Career will be the personnel used to assist in rescue and search operations, as well as participating in fire suppression and emergency response. It is a fast paced career that involves a number of different skills and procedures that you will become expert in. You will be required to ensure different aspects of the Air Force mission, and to help insure that safety procedures and environmental readiness operations are maintained. You will be assigned to assist in providing support and emergency medical care, and may be tasked to participate in training and drills to assist battlefield soldiers in disaster drills and emergency planning.

You will fight fire on Air Force buildings, and on Air Force Aviation facilities. Some of the tasks that you will be required to participate in include: specialized training in chemical, radiological, and biological training, maintaining and operating various equipment and emergency firefighting equipment. You may be the Fire Marshall on an Air Force facility, or deal with a number of Fire Marshall responsibilities as a military situation Fire Marshall. It is not a job for the Faint hearted; you will work to train and master skills, as you become a trained and qualified firefighter. You will often be a qualified Emergency First Responder, and work to assist in damage control and other firefighter tasks."

My Father said no Army and he was Army. He died when I was young and I joined although I had a four year paid college. I stayed in 27.5 years and it was some of the best time of my life. It also helped me as I was very young.

When 18, check it out. The recruiter can help you with your parents if you explain to him or her the full story.

Best to you,
Jim

Thanks for the information.

 

[Cub124]

I fear the JW part is what drastically separates your family from his.

My advice, learn to submit or accept the fact you have a family which sees you as a possession and not a free individual. Sorry you were born into such a situation, but it was the one you got, so now you have a choice to make, either start a new life or accept you are living the life your parents dictate for you.

I happened to move next to an entire extended family of JW and, being an outside observer, have seen the damage inflicted by it. I see a family of people so dedicated to being devoted followers of a dusty old book, they have forgotten to be a supportive family.

Do what you want in your life, as it's the only one you get. Don't let others live your life for you. If you want to remain a jw and follow the faith, then do it and stop complaining you have no freedom. Following, by definition, means having no say. If you wish to experience life, then move out ASAP and begin living your life, not the life your parents demand of you.

Leaving family behind is really hard, but wasting your life by not living it is a permanent mistake you cannot fix. You are coming up on the most exciting years of your life, do what you want to do and realize friends are the family you choose.

And don't fall for the "living under their roof, so you have no rights" line of bull. Your parents chose to have you and it is their responsibility to ensure your well being, and that includes your emotional well being. If they are forcing you to live within their beliefs, they are not supporting you, but attempting to force you to become a mini version of them. Be you, screw anyone who tries to stop you. After all, by forcing you into a bubble of religious indoctrination they have been screwing you for years.

People deserve the respect they give, and your parents are not respecting your choices. Sure, guidance is a good thing, but banning friends outside a religion has no rational basis beyond indoctrination, which is hardly in your best interests. After all, if their religious faith were worth anything they would encourage you to learn about the outside world.

Sorry if this seems harsh, I just hate seeing children used as property instead of raised as individuals. Your parents are wrong to stifle your personal growth and the rules of their beliefs in magic are written to ensure they never change from that mindset. Sorry, they will likely never become people who encourage you to live a full life. It isn't allowed in the religion they chose to obey.

Best of luck, and be sure to do plenty of reading outside of the church materials you are handed. There is a while universe out there, you just have to walk into it. For you this will almost certainly mean your parents will disown you. Don't take it as a reflection of you, it was their choice to put you in this position.

Best wishes.

No that wasn't harsh at all. Yeah I know they won't be happy with me, but hopefully they can get over it.

 

[schweizer]

Cub124, we're happy you're on the forum. A tractor forum needs young guys, too!

From everything you've written, it sounds like your parents love you and are trying to raise you the best way they can, maybe more "strict" than some parents, but that's better than the other extreme in many ways. Of course, they want you to have the same faith, morals, and goals that they have, right? They probably don't have many friends outside the Jehovah's Witnesses and are afraid of what is out there in the "world"? Or maybe they came from hard-living before you came along? You will need to make your own choices soon and they know that, not just about social issues, morals, goals, and profession, but what your religious faith (if any) will be. And the "world" in general is a nasty place and will not last much longer. My question here is, are you trying to rebel because you don't believe like your parents (or haven't decided), or do you just want a little more freedom to make your own choices that you think are in-line with what they expect of you.

You haven't mentioned if you believe like your parents do. Presumably, no, if you are talking about joining the military. By definition, aren't Jehovah's Witnesses non-combatants? The whole point of a military is to force another country/people to do what "we" want them to do. Remember that when there is war and you are killing people.

I'll give an example from my youth: You could call my family very "strict". I went to small Christian elementary school, then a year of homeschool, then to public high school. I didn't go to the dances and football games on Friday night (I'm a Seventh-day Adventist and didn't believe those were appropriate activities for the Sabbath). My parents let me make those decisions as I got into high school, though I had guidance. Then, in college I had the cognitive skills/tools to make my own informed decisions about what direction my life would head. I'm using many of the same methods with my children now. Of course, many of my friends from childhood, when given the opportunity swung the opposite direction: one is spending years in prison for killing someone while drunk driving, others got girls pregnant because they had no self control, etc. Some did eventually better themselves in the military. Having friends and many acquaintances outside your faith is very important. They challenge your faith and make you know why you believe what you believe.

One more thought: In the future you may realize that there are many people who were home-schooled in high positions in this country. Overall, they are above average education and intelligence. You may come to appreciate your parent's discipline and your homeschooling someday. If they don't want to give you some more leeway in your life-choices at this age, even after discussing it with them, like other posters wrote, you don't have much longer until you're 18. But leaving with bad feelings and a falling out with your parents sure doesn't sound like the best outcome...

Marcus

 

[k0ua]

Cub124, we're happy you're on the forum. A tractor forum needs young guys, too!

I too am glad you are here, and I had an opportunity to speak to you.

James K0UA

 

[Cub124]

Cub124, we're happy you're on the forum. A tractor forum needs young guys, too!

From everything you've written, it sounds like your parents love you and are trying to raise you the best way they can, maybe more "strict" than some parents, but that's better than the other extreme in many ways. Of course, they want you to have the same faith, morals, and goals that they have, right? They probably don't have many friends outside the Jehovah's Witnesses and are afraid of what is out there in the "world"? Or maybe they came from hard-living before you came along? You will need to make your own choices soon and they know that, not just about social issues, morals, goals, and profession, but what your religious faith (if any) will be. And the "world" in general is a nasty place and will not last much longer. My question here is, are you trying to rebel because you don't believe like your parents (or haven't decided), or do you just want a little more freedom to make your own choices that you think are in-line with what they expect of you.

You haven't mentioned if you believe like your parents do. Presumably, no, if you are talking about joining the military. By definition, aren't Jehovah's Witnesses non-combatants? The whole point of a military is to force another country/people to do what "we" want them to do. Remember that when there is war and you are killing people.

I'll give an example from my youth: You could call my family very "strict". I went to small Christian elementary school, then a year of homeschool, then to public high school. I didn't go to the dances and football games on Friday night (I'm a Seventh-day Adventist and didn't believe those were appropriate activities for the Sabbath). My parents let me make those decisions as I got into high school, though I had guidance. Then, in college I had the cognitive skills/tools to make my own informed decisions about what direction my life would head. I'm using many of the same methods with my children now. Of course, many of my friends from childhood, when given the opportunity swung the opposite direction: one is spending years in prison for killing someone while drunk driving, others got girls pregnant because they had no self control, etc. Some did eventually better themselves in the military. Having friends and many acquaintances outside your faith is very important. They challenge your faith and make you know why you believe what you believe.

One more thought: In the future you may realize that there are many people who were home-schooled in high positions in this country. Overall, they are above average education and intelligence. You may come to appreciate your parent's discipline and your homeschooling someday. If they don't want to give you some more leeway in your life-choices at this age, even after discussing it with them, like other posters wrote, you don't have much longer until you're 18. But leaving with bad feelings and a falling out with your parents sure doesn't sound like the best outcome...

Marcus

My parents have some friends outside of the witnesses, but they see all these druggies and people like that and don't want me to end up like that. I've never done drugs and am not going to end up like that. I'm not trying to rebel, I'm just trying to get a little bit more freedom to make my own choices. Yes JWs don't take part in the military, thats why I'm a little hesitant about joining. I don't want my parents to disown me.

 

[brin]

Cub - I have a son and I can think of nothing on God's green earth that could cause me to ever stop loving him and no matter what he ever did , I would never disown him...I love him for all he is and no matter what he ever did I would be there for him and he knows that. He is 43 yrs. old now and has his own family and is successful .

I don't think your parents would ever disown you...family is family after all. Good luck in all you do.

 

[schweizer]

+1, Brin

Remember the story of the prodigal son.

 

[timswi]

Cub, I can say that I've known a few JW's and they are very focused people and some of the best employees I've ever seen...That being said, it is a very restrictive lifestyle and not everything that goes on outside of it is inherently evil (and the JW's aren't the only ones who believe that)...It sounds like you have been well grounded and that will carry you far...I can't imagine a parent disowning a child for anything short of a family murder...Then again, I don't know your family..

I'd say follow your dreams but follow them for the right reasons...Don't join the military to eacape, do it because you want to. You won't be helping anyone if your intents aren't pure.

As someone said here, allowing experiences with the "outside" world either reinforces your belief system, or allows you to question it..Nothing wrong with either...The Amish allow this with their young adults, and I believe it's a good thing...If they come back, they know what they believe.

One serious +...Your parents allow you on TBN