On a Lighter Note

October 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

by Mari

The only time we ever got new clothes was on our birthdays and Christmas.

At this point in my life, I totally understand that. I don’t see the point in buying each kid a bunch of new clothes when they’re going to outgrow them in a matter of weeks or months.

I don’t think I really cared all that much about it at the time either.

But, one day, one of the neighbors gave us a gift certificate to K-Mart. (This was back when K-Mart was cool. I still have a soft spot in my heart for K-Mart because of this!) We went on a good ol’ shopping spree.

I got a purple corduroy skirt and purple t-shirt set.

When my parents asked my little brother what he wanted, he said, “Puppy pants.”

He went home with a pack of brand new Snoopy underwear.

I don’t remember what the older boys got.

My dad told this story to some friends a couple of weeks ago, and he said that the next time we went to Prayer Meeting, we all came parading out, so proud of our new clothes. Except for my younger brother. His share of the loot wasn’t something you could really show off.

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4| Part 5|

| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

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Mari is the middle of 5 kids — and the only girl — in a male-dominant, semi-quiverfull, rather patriarchal homeschooling family. She was raised in a patriarchal church and most of her social network as a child consisted of children of patriarchal or quiverfull families. This is the story of how she was sucked into the patriarchal/quiverfull belief system, and how she was lovingly (and in some cases, not so lovingly!) escorted out. Read her blog at: http://www.marismuses.wordpress.com

NLQ Recommended Reading …

‘Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment‘ by Janet Heimlich

‘Quivering Daughters‘ by Hillary McFarland

‘Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement‘ by Kathryn Joyce

 

Filed Under: Beautiful Girlhood, Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, Child Training, Christian Modesty, Complimentarianism, Debt-Free Living, Dominionism / Christian Reconstruction, Family Integrated Church, Frugality, How Did I Get In This Mess?, Instant, Joyous, Obedience, Issues, Life Stories, Like-Minded Fellowship, Maintaining Appearances, Mari's Story, NLQ Miscellany, NLQ Open Comments, NLQ Stories, Perfectionism, Personal Autonomy, Quiverfull Counterculture, Quiverfull Discernment, Quiverfull Topics, SASBN, Spiritual Abuse, Spiritual Abuse & Recovery, Spiritual Abuse Survivors, Spiritual Issues, The Godly Woman, The Spiritual Abuse Survivor Blogs Network Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment
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