Should We Teach Our Kids to Lie About Our Atheist Family if Being Honest Could Bring Discrimination?

The Family Skeptical

Heads up - this was recorded before the election, but we only discuss it very briefly at the end in a way that hopefully won’t make you feel more awful than you already do. That being said, we began with a story about watching Tig Notaro specials with the boys and what an amazing role model she is. Then Moms explains how she thinks the atheist community could have done better. We went after the wrong Christian mom influencer. (Another heads-up that this involves discussion of miscarriage.) Finally, we think about how we’d talk to our kids if we lived in a community where our non-belief might bring discrimination. Lie altogether about our atheism? Teach them to lie? Do something else? It’s so hard this even needs to be a discussion and our hearts go out to all the families in this position.

Now the links (buckle up):

• Haminations

• Tig Notaro’s Drawn Special

• Tig Notaro’s Boyish Girl Interrupted

• Tig Notaro’s Hello Again

• The Handsome Podcast

• Good One’s Tig Notaro Episode

• GrowingGoodings on Instagram

• EveWasFramed on Instagram

• Hemant Mehta on Instagram

• Donate to American Atheists!

• Or volunteer!

The Family Skeptical: We’re a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you’re any stripe of non-believer who’s involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Our kids are Reader (10) and Go (8), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1.

Please reach out to us at [e-mail] and tell us everything we got wrong.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at [phone], or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography

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