jo

Blondie, below, mentioned how the family instills fear in SGAs (and FGs, too for that matter) about the "system". I also remember having that fear instilled in me and how returning to country's of origin, i.e. USA would destroy us. Maybe it would be helpful for those still in to hear about how others have succeeded after leaving.
I had virtually no support for my family (myself and 3 small boys when I left)and I won't say that it was not a struggle at times, and a very big one at that. But looking back I am so grateful that we did not stay in the family. No doubt my kids would have been dealt with severely as they are all extremely independent and as youth "rebellious". Instead of being broken, they lived out of control for some years with no one to bail them out from the consequences of their behavior. As a result, they ended up channeling their energy in positive areas. All three dropped out of school in the ninth grade. Then they got GED's followed by loans and scholarships. Now they are all professionals who have been able to follow their dreams and develop their talents. I seriously doubt that would have happened in the family. One is an RN/entrepreneur, One is an Artist who contracts with events orgs and interior decorators as well as private contracts, and one is a graduate of a well known design school who is now a senior designer in a computer company. All are financially successful, take vacations, wear nice clothes, listen to whatever music they want to, go to whatever movies they want to, have healthy friendships, etc. I have seen others post here that have kids that have graduated from college with honors. The bottom line is, I truly believe the "system" has much more to offer and does not stifle any areas youth want to go in. It seems within the family, ways to advance or follow your dreams are based upon how you perform within the closed society. I am sure there are some in the family that would love to do missionary work without the bondage of the family, and that is good work too. Think how much more could be done if a person was not bound by what the family allows or does not allow. Not to mention that the bondage of listening to a person who channels undead celebrities, "jesus" and "dad" and has readers on LJR--really CRAZY stuff like that, would be loosed!