Twenty somethings date. So I did. In my mind, I can’t apologize or punish myself enough for not being at home with my children every minute that I wasn’t at work or in school. Did you say Catholic guilt? Oh, I’m an expert at that. I was guilty then and I’m still guilty. I will never make it up to them for their worse than average childhood, but I keep trying. More fodder for therapy.

Some ten years after I got divorced, I met my current husband. I told my parents that I had had my first marriage annulled, so it was “okay” in the eyes of God for me to get married again. What a bunch of bull. And here’s one more crazy, bullshit thing. My husband and I slept in separate rooms while my parents were in town for our wedding. We pretended we were practicing celibacy for my parents. We were lying. One might say we did that so my parents wouldn’t be uncomfortable with us sleeping in the same bed in their presence. Or, you could say that I still wanted my parents to love me, to accept me, to think I was a good person. I was still trying to be someone they could be proud of.

As an adult, did you lie to your parents about your non-Catholic behavior?