Author Topic: The "Other Parents"  (Read 2731 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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The "Other Parents"
« on: July 29, 2002, 09:16:00 PM »
There is much talk on this board about our personal pain and the injustices done to us by our parents and/or the program.

But what I am thinking about today is a lot about my "Other Parents"... my mother and step father who did not go along with the cult-like ways of The Seed. They rejected it from the beginning and had the courage to fight for my release.

From before I had even the threat of being tricked in to the Seed program, my mom, stepdad, and my brother and I watched a special on TV about it. And we were all horrified by what we saw. My mom promised that she would never let that happen to us.

After my 3 siblings and I were tricked into being put on the program, I did not progress as quickly because I had stated that my mom would come get me out soon. Unfortunately, that never happened - but not because she did not try. She and my stepdad hired a lawyer, but were not able to do a single thing except for spend a bunch of money for nothing. Why??? Because the Seed had  prominent people including judges that were willing to side with any Seed parent, to do whatever it took to keep us there. And one did.

So what ended up happening, as with any cult, was that by the time my brother and I were able to talk with my mom and stepdad, we were so brainwashed that we treated anyone from the outside as outsiders. My "Other Parents" were looked down upon by the entire group and any shortcommings they were percieved as having were blown up out of proportion.

My mother had a serious nervous breakdown and was hospitalized while we were in the Seed. Eventually she had to give up the hope of getting us out and even the hope of ever having our respect. She had to get on with her life out of self-preservation. It was her most painful time in her life.


Yesterday I showed my mother this message board. She said she would like to share her feelings, but she was not able because she began to cry and to tremble.

The tools of a cult are so powerful.
The human spirit, and mind are so plyable.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Antigen

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2002, 04:20:00 PM »
Please tell your mother that she's a true hero.

My older brothers and sister were in The Seed before I did two years in Straight.

I have to wonder why my father never really fought the Program too hard. Now maybe I understand a little. When my brothers went in, Art made him the scapegoat. Well, not really, he just sort of picked up where my mother left off. I think he was pretty brainwashed part of the time, but I think he also understood that his only connection to us was to play along.

I do know this, though, I spent plenty of time daydreaming about getting called out of group to find him in the front office ready to take me home. Never happened. I had to escape and seek protection from the courts. Not long after that, he came to his senses. We talked about the whole thing just once almost 20 years ago, never again after that.

The rest of my family seems to have bought into the drama and fiction hook, line and sinker. That's heartbreaking. But he never seemed to let it bother him. `Course, it could be just a difference between male and female psychology. Maybe he really never let any of it bother him much.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
~ Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes

Offline GregFL

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2002, 07:34:00 PM »
for those who don't know, Freedom is my sister.
Thank you for the post, sis. Some memories came back to me after reading it. One of them was the Seed, and then my father ,smugly repeating over and over to me that I "would be dead withing a year" if I lived with my Mom. They stripped her of all credibility,refused to let her even speak to us,  and used to verbally attack her after she would drive from Ft lauderdale all the way to St Pete for open meeting. Then they wouldn't let her talk to us, and told us we couldn't see us because it would interfere with our "recovery".

The first time they let us talk to her, we were already on 2nd phase back home. It was after open meeting about midnight in the parking lot. My stepfather looked at us and nodded his head towards the car and said, "you Know, you don't have to go back in there". I said, "yes we do, Ed".
I knew damn well we wouldn't get 5 miles from the place with The Nazi like St Pete Police squarely in the Seed's camp. Also, If you ran and were brought back, they then brought you to juvy to have you court ordered in and increased your miniman sentence.
I didn't know at this time that a St Pete Judge had purjured himself in order to keep me in the Seed to Ft Lauderdale judge whom ordered me out. I didn't know my mother had been fighting with her limited resources to get me out.
I think, Sis, that it was a one- two punch that permanently may have taken the wind out of her sails. She had left us a scant two years earlier with plans on getting her life together and getting us. That summer we both went to stay with her, and we were doing pretty good. I had no real plans on going back to St Pete and in fact wasn't even talking to my father. I think Mom finally was thinking that she could make up for leaving us, then she felt so guilty that she let him trick us into the seed, then felt helpless as the judicial system failed us all.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline NOT12NOW

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2006, 07:28:13 AM »
So sad.  
Greg let me get this clear your sister, freedom is endora?
Endora I also used to dream of my parents  appearing to take me home in my early days before the seedling brain wiring jelled.
I've read both of your stories before but so never quit understood  the exstent of the tug-of-war  between your parents.

Please tell your mother that many of us are heartened to hear of a parent who not only didn't buy it, but fought to keep her kids out.

thanks to you both for your always generous posts.
amy
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline GregFL

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2006, 10:06:15 AM »
No, my sister was "Freedom".  Sometime ago she felt she got closure and deleted most of her posts.  The first post in this thread is one of the remaining that she didn't delete.   She is doing great, and her and I are real close.  We were put into the program together and it split us apart for years and years and then we became close again in my early twenties but  we had an unspoken divide between us that existed due to events surrounding the seed and after the seed.  I am glad to say we laid it all to rest and are in almost complete agreement about what happened to us.  This forum is probably why.  It opened the door to us finally breaking down those unspoken barriers and we were able to forgive ourselves for what happened.

Eurdora is my internet sis, Ginger.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2006, 11:28:43 AM »
wow
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2006, 11:31:57 AM »
wow wow
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Antigen

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The "Other Parents"
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2006, 05:09:08 PM »
Thanks, bro!  :wave:

Wow? Wow wow? How come?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
~ Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes