On the road again..... (Maxwells)

[Lillybee]

I think that that thread should be in Chatter if we do it.

[nokidsmom]

I don't know about anyone else, but I would adore it if a thread (maybe a sticky?) would be made for the conference reports. It'd be so much easier to read everything without wading through all of the very wordy threads. :wink-penguin:

I would like to see this as a separate thread. Also agree that it should go in Chatter.

[nelliebelle1197]

I would like to see this as a separate thread. Also agree that it should go in Chatter.

Why put in Chatter? Seems like they belong here or SODT

[Palimpsest]

Why put in Chatter? Seems like they belong here or SODT

Aw, Mr P and I are very flattered that our contributions are deemed worthy of creating a new thread especially for Maxhell Infiltrations. I think it is a really good idea to put all the infiltrations in the same place so that we can compare and contrast different experiences easily.

In chatter so that lurking Steve can't read them? What do we need now to read Chatter, is it still 75 posts?

I'd agree. It is hard to critique a Maxwell conference without inadvertently giving Steve helpful hints for improvement.

If I may a request of the unfortunate Mod who has to do this merge. Can you make sure that most/all the posts with questions for me get moved too? I was lazy about quoting people, but think some of my responses won't make sense without the question or comment above. Sorry to complicate the job. :embarrassed:

[nokidsmom]

Aw, Mr P and I are very flattered that our contributions are deemed worthy of creating a new thread especially for Maxhell Infiltrations. I think it is a really good idea to put all the infiltrations in the same place so that we can compare and contrast different experiences easily.

In chatter so that lurking Steve can't read them? What do we need now to read Chatter, is it still 75 posts?

I'd agree. It is hard to critique a Maxwell conference without inadvertently giving Steve helpful hints for improvement.

If I may a request of the unfortunate Mod who has to do this merge. Can you make sure that most/all the posts with questions for me get moved too? I was lazy about quoting people, but think some of my responses won't make sense without the question or comment above. Sorry to complicate the job. :embarrassed:

I can see these going into the SOTDRT as well, but one advantage of Chatter is that Stevie couldn't read them. :twisted:

[LucySnowe]

I can see these going into the SOTDRT as well, but one advantage of Chatter is that Stevie couldn't read them. :twisted:

If he really wanted to, he'd manage it, or get one of his devoted minions to act as a mole on his behalf.

I think they make more sense in SOTDRT. That's the first place I go if I start reading a thread on a fundie family I don't know, and the personal accounts would be a great complement to the existing descriptions, which are pretty much based only on the blogs themselves.

ETA: and a secondary bonus would be that if they were publicly available, they could be read by anyone wondering 'so who are these Maxwells? I would like more information on them'. We give a much different viewpoint than the official blog....

[Dru]

I don't think there's anything I could do to bribe my husband into going to a Maxwell conference and sitting through one of Steve's lectures. Still, I want to go just to get an eyeful them.

[nokidsmom]

If he really wanted to, he'd manage it, or get one of his devoted minions to act as a mole on his behalf.

I think they make more sense in SOTDRT. That's the first place I go if I start reading a thread on a fundie family I don't know, and the personal accounts would be a great complement to the existing descriptions, which are pretty much based only on the blogs themselves.

ETA: and a secondary bonus would be that if they were publicly available, they could be read by anyone wondering 'so who are these Maxwells? I would like more information on them'. We give a much different viewpoint than the official blog....

Good points. And now IIRC, we did have a so-called "friend" of the Maxwell's posting here sometime back. Forgot about that.

[treemom]

I am just chiming in to agree with the Terri as a victim and a oppressor.

When I referred to the non-steves I meant the kids, but I hate calling them that.

[treemom]

Also, I have always been curious about why Terri's parents seemingly joined the bandwagon enough to be Steve approved. It seems odd.

[Palimpsest]

Also, I have always been curious about why Terri's parents seemingly joined the bandwagon enough to be Steve approved. It seems odd.

I wonder if the answer to that can be found in the Mom and Dad Corners. Also a timeline on Teri's depression. I lack the time and the fortitude to look there today. The Corners piss me off.

Can anyone tell me why the bus is called Uriah? After Uriah the Hittite that David had bumped off so he could boink Bathsheba? Strange choice.

By the way, I still have the Maxwell Family survey. 19 questions in total. 14 self-report your family's state of Steve/godliness. 2 on Titus 2 and the Maxwell resources. 3 evaluation of the conference itself. Some snarkable examples of Maxwell oddities.

More details on request, but speak up soon if you are interested. I plan to recycle it tomorrow!

[VodouDoll]

Yes please! All details are welcome. Thank you so much for your writeups, and your husband's too. They're fascinating.

[Palimpsest]

Yes please! All details are welcome. Thank you so much for your writeups, and your husband's too. They're fascinating.

You are very welcome. :)

I'll keep the survey out of recycling until I get a chance to write it up. It might not be today.

[Dru]

Also, I have always been curious about why Terri's parents seemingly joined the bandwagon enough to be Steve approved. It seems odd.

I wonder if they actually have? It's possible that they keep their opinions to themselves in order to spend time with Teri and their grandchildren. I mean, Melanie and the kids spend time in main compound, but they also spend time with her "worldly" family as well.

[Arete]

I wonder if they actually have? It's possible that they keep their opinions to themselves in order to spend time with Teri and their grandchildren. I mean, Melanie and the kids spend time in main compound, but they also spend time with her "worldly" family as well.

I mentioned in my reaction that I know a woman like Teri, except her husband's narcissicism and charlatanism are not religiously motivated. If Teri's parents are anything like this woman's parents were, they "keep sweet" enough to stay husband approved in order to remain in the lives of the child and the grandchildren. The hope is that somehow, someway, they can act as a sort of "alternative template", and that the kid will see them as a potential source of help. This keeping sweet is extremely stressful for parents of adults like Teri. They most likely tried to do or say something directly confrontational, only to realize that Teri was willing to cut them out of her life completely to please Steve. So they result to quieter tactics. The alternative is to stand your ground, say your piece, and lose all access to your child and grandchildren.

[Jana814]

Have to agree about Teri's parents. I really would love to know what was going through their minds when Steve started w/ religious thing!! I really wondered if they tried to get Teri & the older ones (Nathan, Christopher & Sarah) away from Steve.

[treemom]

But I suspect you have to do more than just not confront to be Steve worthy. He has cut his family off for instance.

I think with Melanie there is a bit of a difference because she married when they were slightly less extreme. She is no NR-Anna in some regards.

It is just weird...

[sparkles]

Also, I have always been curious about why Terri's parents seemingly joined the bandwagon enough to be Steve approved. It seems odd.

Teri's parents are quite elderly and although her father is in failing health, unlike Steve's mother they appear to be of sound mind. It may not be so much that they've jumped on the bandwagon but that they know how to play the game in order to ensure continued access to their daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They're long past the need for a lot of what Steve espouses, especially concerning training up, "educating" and sheltering the children so it probably wouldn't be too difficult for them to go along with the rest, considering they were probably conservative Christians to start with. Also given that the Maxwells moved to Leavenworth in part to be close to Teri's parents I think if Steve tried to shut them out, it might be the final breaking point for Teri. She'd really have to be far gone to put up with that. I wouldn't put it past him to cut off Teri's sister though if he thought she was a threat to his reign of terror.

[YPestis]

The Maxwells kids are a sad bunch because they are completely under the thumb of Steve. Nathan and Melanie's kids are slightly better off because they are one generation "removed" from Steve. In other words, there's a certain respect for Nathan's authority, and he allow Melanie's more liberal family to mingle with his kids. Nathan also married and left the home before the Maxwells went off the deep end. Being away from the Maxwell mothership probably prevented Nathan from jumping off the deep end as well. Plus, with Melanie's family in the picture----and appearing to be fundie-lite---they mitigate the more extreme Maxwellian attitudes. As Steve pulls his family further into isolation, Nathan has his inlaws tugging on him and on his children, and the ability to say 'no' as it suits him.

That said, I don't think the nonreversal kids will be able to resist like Nathan. They grew up far more isolated fashion and have been under stricter Steve control than Nathan. If the remaining boys marry and move into their own homes, I think they will retain some of those weird isolationist policies. Think about it, when Nathan married, the youngest five were all gradeschool or below. They have no memories of life of sports and Sunday classes and even public school! Nathan actually has memories of these items. Sarah even bragged that none of the five reversal kids ever played with the neighborhood kids. Hurrah for keeping your children's hearts! Yeah, the remaining kids are going to have a hard time adjusting to living outside the Maxwell compound.....

[Arete]

But I suspect you have to do more than just not confront to be Steve worthy. He has cut his family off for instance.

I think with Melanie there is a bit of a difference because she married when they were slightly less extreme. She is no NR-Anna in some regards.

It is just weird...

I think his parents' divorce and the fact it seems to be some type of trigger for Steve may be part of the reason he is so isolated from his own side of the family. Not to mention he probably got pushback from his own sibling that her parents were unwilling to risk.

The situation of the Maxwell kids and grandparents just breaks my heart.

[Brittany15]

I hate to say it but there is a chance that the Maxwell family is a really good (or maybe convenient?) family to be related to- especially if you are elderly. There are many posts and corners that talk about how the kids visited their grandparents every Friday afternoon. There are also posts where they have done things to "bless" their grandparents through cleaning. Getting older is scary especially if you are faced with failing health. Their crazy religious ideas may be something the grandparents are willing to overlook in exchange for what they "get" out of it- being in their daughters and grand children's lives and the security of being taken care of in old age. I could see Sarah moving in with her grandparents if their health fails (lets face it she is not getting out of that house any other way!) The Maxwells are horrible to people who don't "toe the party line" but do nice things for those who do.

I am not saying that this was a conscience decision on grandma and grandpas part. I doubt they said- well we will ignore it to get our windows washed. However, they may just be too old and tired to put up any major fuss and the "nice" things they get out of it are just enough to keep them pretending they are okay.

[kpmom]

Just noticed the new post about finishing up painting their hosts' home.

The Maxwell ladies are wearing matching skirts...not simply matching each other, but the female host family members too!

Very defrauding crotch shot of John.

And I gotta say, I really like the house they're at. I love that three seasons porch in particular.

[twin2]

One thing I’ve found interesting is that it’s light here at 4:30 in the morning!

Uh, yeah Sarah, that is because you are out east and the sun rises in the east (unlike what you have been taught, the sun does not rise around Steve).

[Justme]

New blog. Boy, this other family is sure lucky getting so much free labor to paint their house! Sarah is amazed it is light at 4:30 am! I know they are early risers, but 4:30?! They may start home tomorrow (Wed) or Thurs.

[fundiefan]

And of course, Father's Day was a special day. Let me guess...bible time, individual prayer time, a special family bible time to honor their leader, maybe their hosts made them burritos for dinner, and dear old dad allowed them all to have three animal crackers for dessert in honor of HIM. Then, more bible time and some special family time.