My mom's father was from Calabria. Until I was around 10 or 11 years old my dad was literally working seven days a week, and he would usually leave for work before we woke up and often still be working after we went to bed. Money was tight. My mother was basically the one who raised us, said our prayers with us, etc. Things got much better financially by the time I was a young teenager. That's when he expressed his feelings about religion to me. I attended a Catholic elementary school, high school, and college, so I didn't lack adult religious role models. Also, I was close to my grandparents and cousins, who all were cynical Catholics too. So, by that point I had formed my own faith. I don't recall being devasted or even a little disturbed by his serious doubts. Sometimes as parents we think we can control how our kids think. We can't.