I was brought up a strict Roman Catholic by very strong willed parents. I was a rebellious kid, always asking why, why, why. I pissed my parents off more times than I could count with the questions I asked that they couldn't answer. I rebelled against the teaching of the Catholic Church in my early 20's and that didn't make my parents happy one bit. I was continually punished emotionally for thinking different than my parents. I was punished with their disapproval, rejection and their scowls of hatred and contempt of my thoughts.
I remember the first article I wrote and sharing it with my dad. He read it and then said: "Why are you wasting your time writing this shit, why don't you do something worthwhile with your life."
Boy that hurt.....but in spite of the rejection, in spite of the hurt, I kept being true to myself, I kept questioning everything and I kept writing.... And over time, the contempt and hatred for my writings by my parents turned into admiration.
By the end of their life they were my greatest fans and biggest supporters. I would not have become the writer I am today if it was not first for the contempt my parents had towards my writings and later on their admiration for having the courage to be myself and think differently than the rest of the pack.
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