Thread by @MattDrapps

TW. Abuse, Child Abuse, 'discipline', ableism, mute if nec.

I'm continuing my live-tweet of To Train Up a Child by the Pearls

I ought to take a break, but I honestly only have a few more things to say about this *six thousand tweets later* and just one more thing...

The previous thread is here:

https://twitter.com/MattDrapps/status/1097416406088540161?s=19

I'm cooking some rice right now, chopped up some peppers and onions, gunna mix myself some spicy rice in a minute. I have the whole day off today, and going for a walk in a bit.

The next couple of chapters are mostly just examples of so-called Christian child training, so I'm going to continue to follow my own story and weave into that a few specific examples from Michael and Debi Pearl's abusive book.

#ExposeChristianDiscipline
#totrainupachild

I bet some of you are wondering while you are reading, Why now? Why today?

I'm 31 now, the youngest child at home is over 10, why am I choosing to expose myself now?

There are several reasons why I haven't done this before, like, quite simply, I wasn't ready. I wasn't in a stable enough place in my own life. I didn't have the capacity. I'm lucky enough to have space at the moment to do this.

I have been selfish too.

I had opportunities later in life to involve myself in cleaning it up, but did not step up to it. I let my older sister take the fall when she tried to expose things a number of years ago and I didn't back her up.

I also felt like unplugging the children from the Matrix would be more detrimental than letting them grow out of it themselves.

'Part of the ship, part of the crew, part of the ship, part of the crew'

Also, I was afraid that if I looked into it too deeply, I'd end up thinking what happened was right, not wrong.

I was taught that the Bible says to cane your children, I was afraid I'd find that to be unquestionably true and have to confront that.

Seeing others bravely speak up through the #ExposeChristianSchools hashtag, gave me strength and told me, 'Yes, what happened was REAL.'

Someone asked me if I'd heard of the Pearls. An alarm bell rang. I looked up the book, recognised the cover and for the first time realised that what happened wasn't random punishments comparable to normal childhoods, it was Systematic.

It had a specific design and a specific goal, and was not parents with a lack of control making some discipline errors of judgement, it was intentional, conditioning, designed for control. #ExposeChristianDiscipline

I also, had hoped that (like my older sister, my brother and I) the family would grow up and move away, learn from mistakes, make new friends, and I don't know them well enough to know if that is happening, but I'm afraid the control and manipulation is still there for many.

The Pearl's system is designed to be carried down in the family, from parent to child. Here's a story:

The Pearl's daughter is playing with a doll, but the doll starts screaming, the girl responds:

"No! That's not nice! SWITCH SWITCH SWITCH. If you don't stop crying, Mama will spank you again. SWITCH SWITCH. OK, stop crying now..."

The abuse has the capacity to move smoothly through the generations.

#ExposeChristianDiscipline
#totrainupachild #PearlsPromoteChildAbuse

Also, I don't want to see any of my kid siblings ending up in a relationship with someone Authoritarian or Abusive, so I felt like I needed to get this out NOW of all times, before it can go any further.

I love my brothers and sisters hugely, and though it's been complicated since I came out as gay and I don't think they knew HOW to process that, I am proud of them every day.

Chapter 10, no shock at all, the Pearl's own guns and are switching their children for touching them.

As my dad continues to embrace further the Southern American attitudes, my fear about guns eventually coming into the house is high.

My dad was one of those who talked about not believing the Stoneman Douglas High School kids were real, after survivors of a mass school shooting spoke up consistently about gun reform. I follow a lot of those kids on twitter, and they are remarkable.

Aside: If you don't follow David Hogg, Cameron Kasky and Emma Gonzalez, you should.

The Pearl's went far beyond my own parents, in terms of so-called training, here in Chapter 10, talking about how they pushed their infant into a pond to teach her it was dangerous. My parents would never.

*I mean, they kept canes hanging up on the wall, used wooden spoon handles if the cane wasn't to hand and on occasion THE MOST painful of them all, a bamboo cane. But they never pushed an infant into a pond.

Another reason that I didn't speak up before is that instilled into every one of us was a huge distrust of anyone and everything outside of the home, especially secular authority figures like the police and social workers.

Here's a quote from the book: "One judge in Nebraska said, The public education system is preparing the children of America for the year 2000 when we will all merge into the new world order."

Its 2019!!! Where's that NWO you promised me???

Also this: "If you want your kid to integrate into the NWO, wait his turn in line for condoms, have a gov funded abortion, STD treatment, psychological evaluation and a mark on his forehead then follow the popular education."

I...is that...*geastures towards everything*

We were told, early on, that the government wanted to take us away from the family and force us into the propaganda machine of the world. They said if the gov thought we were being abused, we would all be separated and sent away to different care homes.

We were told that if we were ever taken away, we should RUN home every night. That we should misbehave until a carer hit us and then call the police (ironic, no?). We suggested our own, 'We'll scream and scream till they let us go!'

I once saw a poster for NSPCC on a bus stop. It had an illustration of a child being hit and the caption, "She ran into a wall". I asked my mom what it meant and she said that sometimes if you go to the doctors with an injury they falsely think your being abused at home.

The Police were definitely out enemy, not friend. And when someone did report the family (incorrectly, and exageratedly), we were coached what not to say before our interview.

When Social Services came one time, they requested one - on - one interviews with the kids, and mom and dad agreed, but the didn't tell the investigators that the kids had microphones recording what was said.

Did I ever want to be taken away or have the children taken away? NEVER. I still don't. I want us to be together, a strong, creative, unusual but wonderful family of unique people who do LIFE together.

Should that ever have involved children being smacked with canes, rod, whathaveyous, and conditioned into abusive authoritarian obedience? Absofuckinglutely not.

Is this family?

A quote from the book: "I am the General. I have taught the children to obey first and ask questions later. When they were small, I would drill them. 'Sit down. Stand up. Go touch the door. Now come here.' If one should fail in attitude, he would be spanked."

Quote from To Train Up a Child: "Even day, I can snap my finger, pointing to the floor and they all, including the ones who are six feet, immediately sit."

I mean, the false expectations this cursed book must have given my dad???

#ExposeChristianDiscipline

He (Michael Pearl) talks about touching his kids hand to a hot stove to teach them not to touch while shouting, "HOT!" at them. He says, "It was so effective, thereafter, if I wanted to see them do a back flip all I had to do was say 'Hot!'"

Oh fuck right off you abusive fuck.

Chapter 11, not one that we ever encountered thank goodness, but the Pearls methods for Potty Training include a cold hose for boys, and refusing to give them treats because they are told they are not "grown up enough" in diapers.

They add, "Don't apply emotional pressure." ???

I'm almost done with this book and the way that it has made me face up to my history, and you know what, I'm so damn grateful for who I am now? You know? And the people (those scary, out of home people) that have shaped me.

I learned long ago that HOPE is worth having. You get into the middle of these threads, would you really think that kid Drappa would get a chance to become me now?

I keep hope with me, always. I'm deluded by hope, I'm crazy about it, I love hoping. I, yes, okay, I balance it with reality, and I know, I know, it's unlikely to come true, but I am dizzy for hope.

For me, for you, for the others, for us.

Hope is rising.

Hope is the ACTION of rising.

Also, hold up, let me clarify, some kids SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY be taken away from their parents and brought into safe homes. And probably we should have, but it's too late now, so I'm going with hope. Do not think that I'm saying EVER that should choose to live with abuse.

Also, hold up, let me clarify, some kids SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY be taken away from their parents and brought into safe homes. And probably we should have, but it's too late now, so I'm going with hope. Do not think that I'm saying EVER that should choose to live with abuse

Also, hold up, let me clarify, some kids SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY be taken away from their parents and brought into safe homes. And probably we should have, but it's too late now, so I'm going with hope. Do not think that I'm saying EVER that should choose to live with abuse

Also, hold up, let me clarify, some kids SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY be taken away from their parents and brought into safe homes. Do not think that I'm saying EVER EVER EVER that should choose to live with abuse. I just realised how those last couple tweets sounded.

Ever, ever, ever, ever.

@threadreaderapp Would you please unroll the above?

Part 6 is here :

https://twitter.com/MattDrapps/status/1097562566518280193?s=19