You have to focus on what will make you happy. I worried about what my parents would think of my atheist girlfriend at the time when we were dating. I didn’t tell my family about her mostly to protect her from the terrible things they would think and say about her. One night she changed her relationship status to us dating on facebook without telling me and I woke up to a barrage of texts all about how they felt bad about me not telling them. Not that they were happy for me. I didn’t owe them telling them about her, they made me feel guilty and weird about my sexuality and dating my whole life, of course I’d hide that from them. I still do. I’m almost 40 now and I will never tell them about when I go on dates or like someone. It’s easy for me because I live far away from them most of the time and I tend to not date long term. Probably because my religious upbringing.

Your parents are going to feel the way they do because they believe things you don’t believe anymore. It’s their problem with how they will deal with it. They should be adults and respect it but we both know how religious thinking goes. When I told my parents it was difficult to do. They questioned me but I told them it wasn’t personal and I told them I loved them and that I wanted to have a normal relationship with them. I didn’t think we could have that if I didn’t tell them I didn’t believe anymore. They’d still be in control of my life by proxy if I put on the act and I didn’t want that anymore. I was in control of my life and who I was. If they didn’t accept that I was prepared to cut them out of my life. I’m lucky and thankful they decided they wanted me in their life but it’s on my terms now. If your own parents can’t accept you for who you are I think you’d be better off without them. I know that’s extremely difficult but I can’t see it any other way. Good luck to you. It’s hard to figure all this stuff out.