Pearls and Amish/Mennonite

[puffballpopple]

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[APMamaX4]

Are the Pearls Amish/Mennonite? I ask because I read a booklet put out by Rod and Staff and it sounded very Pearl-esque. Are Amish/Mennonites very punitive and "train" their children, in general?


Amanda


Amish/Mennonites are usually very punitive.... They are very "train your children". As for the Pearls, though, many of them find him to be a bit over the top and extreme, although they seem to enjoy using at least some of the methods. That being said.... I enjoy Rod & Staff's homeschool (preschool) books, and my kids LOVE their Little Jewels books (we have just about all of them).

[erinee]

I've always heard that the Amish don't begin training their children until age 2 or 3 -- up until then, they are very gentle with them. After that point, they expect more from them and begin using physical discipline.

I go to church with a lot of ex-Amish & Mennonites, so I'm trying to think if there's anyone I would feel comfortable asking about this. :think

I took dinner to a family the other night that comes from an Amish background, and they live in the middle of Amish country. The kids enjoyed seeing the Amish all around, and Zach told them he wished he was Amish. They told him that if he were, he would have to sit in church completely still, staring straight ahead for 2-3 hours with nothing to do. This family loves how Megan dances in the aisles at our church, and I joked that there would be none of that in an Amish church. I imagine the Amish would have to be awfully punitive to get children to sit so still for so long!

[at home momma]

the pearls themselves are NOT amish or mennonite. they do live in a community where there are lots of amish and mennonite people. in thier book they use several examples of 'training sessions' that they saw used with amish people. however both michael and debi pearl have said they themselves were raised the way they raised their kids (with the exception of homeschooling), and they trained their children that way before they move to the amish/mennonite/small community that they live in. basically there are simply amish and mennnonite people around where they live that train their kids the same way the pearls do.

at home momma

[Katherine]

I had it in my head that they were missionaries to the Amish.... is that right? I was thinking I read that in one of their books.

If they didn't absorb some of these things from the Amish community, they seem to have at least been reinforced in their thinking, b/c they do use lots of examples of Amish situations.

[TestifyToLove]

They are NOT Amish nor Mennonite. However, the Amish and Mennonites are typically extremely punative and similiar to Pearl in their approach to parenting.

I was raised Mennonite, which is why I've always said that I was raised in this style of parenting, just before Micheal Pearl wrote his book.

[Soliloquy]

Thanks for posting this question and for all of your answers. I thought the same thing after I read TTUAC a few weeks ago (why did I do that to myself? I can't get the picture out of my mind of those poor little babies :cry). About all I knew about Amish people was their furniture and what I saw in the movie Witness. :blush Now I know a little more . . .

[APMamaX4]

Thanks for posting this question and for all of your answers. I thought the same thing after I read TTUAC a few weeks ago (why did I do that to myself? I can't get the picture out of my mind of those poor little babies :cry). About all I knew about Amish people was their furniture and what I saw in the movie Witness. :blush Now I know a little more . . .


Having had involvement with the Amish-Mennonites (and that's all I really care to say), I will just caution you to be careful with where you get your info. IOW, Hollywood (Witness) vs more accurate sources, such as "straight from the horses mouth", or being involved w/them for years. Just a precaution, that's all :)

[chelsea]

I had a set of tapes lent to me called "The Godly Home", the tapes are by someone named "Denny Kenaston" who I think is Amish (I may be wrong though.) I think it is linked in with ATIA. Anyways, his tapes sound very Michael-Pearlish so it gave me the same impression as yours. :shrug

[Soliloquy]

Thanks for posting this question and for all of your answers. I thought the same thing after I read TTUAC a few weeks ago (why did I do that to myself? I can't get the picture out of my mind of those poor little babies :cry). About all I knew about Amish people was their furniture and what I saw in the movie Witness. :blush Now I know a little more . . .


Having had involvement with the Amish-Mennonites (and that's all I really care to say), I will just caution you to be careful with where you get your info. IOW, Hollywood (Witness) vs more accurate sources, such as "straight from the horses mouth", or being involved w/them for years. Just a precaution, that's all :)


I totally agree! I didn't mean to imply that I thought Witness was an accurate/thorough representation of Amish people, just that it was the only exposure I'd ever had. You'd think, growing up in Wisconsin, that I'd have some personal experience, but I don't.

[Stonebeck Farm]

I ask because I read a booklet put out by Rod and Staff and it sounded very Pearl-esque.

Hi Amanda- I read the pamphlet you are talking about on Tuesday this week. It came in the mail with about 20 other pamphlets I didn't ask for and the Rod and Staff catalogue I did ask for! This pamphlet is very similar to the Pearls say- yet it was a little bit harsher in some places. It also reminded me alot of Fugate! (But I think it even listed Fugate as a source.)

I am really glad to hear the little Jewel books are not like that. I ordered the catalogue because I was interested in the little Jewel books. I was suspecting they were ok since Quietspirit mentioned using them with her children.

[This Busy Mom]

The pathway readers that are amish have a reference in their first 1st grade reader that sounded punitive (little girl's dad does "something" to her... kinda freaked us out when we were reading it... dd picked up on her being punished).

[domesticzookeeper]

Question: How do the Amish discipline their children when they misbehave?

Answer: Amish parents handle discipline much like other societies, by taking away privileges, discussions, scoldings and spankings.

from Amish.net (http://www.amish.net/default.asp)