My little family is living proof of the fact that change is possible. My grandparents went from fury to admiration of my parents’ love, and from shame to pride in their mixed race grandchildren.

In his Wednesday audience, Pope Francis remembered parents of children with different sexual orientations, with illnesses, who are struggling at school, and said, “Never condemn a child.”

In an interview with the Vatican’s media outlets, the pope focused on the theme of “paternity” and how St. Joseph is an important example for fathers, the church and families.

To see headlines suggesting that not having kids is in some way selfish would be painful. But did Pope Francis really say that?

“It is a risk, yes: having a child is always a risk, either naturally or by adoption,” Pope Francis said. ”But it is riskier not to have them.”

My dad was and is an alcoholic. Al-Anon gives me a framework for naming my situation, taking responsibility for my actions and making changes so that I can live a (more) emotionally sober life.