https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6 Johnathan Richie en-us 2019-02-25 01:02:36 UTC 2019-02-25 02:22:33 UTC hello@padlet.com jrichie2 https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334658859 My son is just like every other little boy his age.  He likes to play outside, loves sports, and wants to be a part of all the things that his friends are doing.  The only difference for him, is that our religious views are different than the majority of his peers.  One thing that is hard for Larry is when the major holidays come around.  In our religion we do not celebrate Christmas or Easter, which of course are highly celebrated by a large number of the world. My son is only 7.  So for him, he sees it as though he is left out and isolated from the fun activities that are holiday specific that his friends are participating in.  I share with him that he is not alone, and that there are over 8 million members who are apart of our congregation that have the same beliefs as we do. To my child though, he feels like he is missing out, and does not fully understand the reason for our views.  ]]> 2019-02-25 01:08:29 UTC https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334658859 jrichie2 https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334661795 - We believe in God whos name is Jehovah.
- We believe in the bible, but understand that parts of it were written figuratively and not to be taken literally.
- Family is forever, with exception to sexual immortality. 
- We do not celebrate religious holidays like Easter and Christmas. Birthday's and National Holidays are not celebrated, nor are holidays that honor others outside of Jesus.  These types of celebrations do not support true Christianity.]]> 2019-02-25 01:25:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334661795 jrichie2 https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334664099 www.jw.org - dedicated to all information about the Jehovah Witness Religion

http://watchtowerwatch.com/blog/my-life-as-a-jehovahs-witness-child - a perspective of a women who was raised as a Jehovah Witness, and the feelings she had throughout childhood

http://www.4witness.org/home/support-groups/ - information on resources avaiable for questions and support about Jehovah Witnesses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/witnesses/ - a basic guide to everything Jehovah witness


]]> 2019-02-25 01:39:45 UTC https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334664099 jrichie2 https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334667143 Larry wants to feel just like every other kid there.  He wants to be a part of the activities that are done in school without feeling like he is "different" .   Here are a few ways that you can support Larry and allow him to be "just a kid". 

- have alternative activities that he can participate in.  For example during the "Christmas Party" if a project or activity is done that is in celebration of the holiday specifically, have something planned that is "winter themed" so he is able to still have fun, but it does not go against our religious beliefs. 

- instead of asking Larry to step outside the classroom while you are singing Happy Birthday to a different child where he feels singled out, send him on a quick teacher helper errand (possibly to the library to get something, the office, or another teachers classroom) and sing during that time.  This way he is not excluded from the group where other kids are noticing that he is singled out and can pick on him for that. 

- have a discussion in the beginning of the year as a class about how people are allowed to have different views.  This will help him so that he knows other people understand that it is ok to believe different things.  

- Have some different downtime activities if there is ever anything that arises that is holiday, birthday, or political that he is able to do that is of interest to him.  He especially enjoys sports so a simple project that deals with something related to that. 

]]> 2019-02-25 01:51:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334667143 jrichie2 https://padlet.com/jrichie2/itlcz1eqssa6/wish/334671790 Being a parent to a child that is viewed different by others is challenging on a daily basis.  I wish there was an easy way for other kids, and him to understand that he is just like everyone else, but with different religious views, and that it is ok to be different.  My child learns just like everyone else, and he is at the same place in his development as everyone else.  There is really no differences other than that we believe something different that a majority of the people in his class. Some services that we use are our Kingdom Halls. This is a place we go where everyone there has the same views as us. There are youth activities, and other children that are the same as him, and have been through similar challenging situations. We are able to worship our faith there, and I feel it makes my son feel like he is not alone. This is a great resource for support to our family and many others. This was not something that I found, but a place I always knew to be a safe haven. Raising a child that is Jehovah Witness has no financial impact. There is nothing special that we need, just a support group of individuals that have the same outlook.
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