Dawn, 26 years old, married with 2 children (2 years old & 2 weeks old)

Someone once said to me that they feel sorry for my son because he’s being raised in The Family. It hurt a great deal to hear this from a person that I care about & whose opinion is important to me. But no matter who said it, I have to disagree. Yes, he’s growing up in a different environment from what most kids have, but that sure doesn’t make it wrong! To be honest, I feel sorry for those who can’t be proud of their upbringing within The Family. I’m proud of the fact that my life is vastly different from most. I’m proud that I grew up in 7 countries, have traveled to 12 others, learned to speak 3 languages proficiently & have a life that’s actually interesting to talk about. I’ve seen some feel embarrassed & ashamed of their “odd” life, but personally, I think it’s cool & I pray that one day my kids will think so too. But if not, they will still have had a great opportunity to learn many things that will help them to get good jobs, advanced schooling & all that they need to be a success in or out of our Family communities.

Don’t feel sorry for my kids! It’s my God-given right to raise my children the way that I feel is the very best & believe me, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I was giving them the best. I took a few months in 2004 to seriously consider the aforementioned comment to see if there was any better way to raise my kid. I thought about school, daycare, private schools—everything—& I came to the conclusion that my son has the best right here. He has the best & most loving teacher I could ever hope for & he loves her to bits, he has a head-start on schooling, is secure, has no behavioral or emotional problems & is not in contact with any children that do. If he were in a “normal” school, I know I couldn’t be certain of that. He has all he needs & more & while my daughter isn’t even 2 weeks old yet, she’s got everything she needs too.

I do think that one thing I’ve learned from those who have left our group in the past, is that while I will raise my children to be Family missionaries, I will keep my heart & mind open to the fact that they may not choose the life that I hope for them. I will do my best to prepare them with qualities that will make them a success in either society, by helping them learn to be good people, kind, courteous, efficient, wise with money, good workers & more. The best part is, all of this will come just by virtue of living in a Family community. So, I can say with all faith & confidence: “My kids have the best.”

Dawn is a second-generation member of The Family International