What we think is the right road: The idea of "conscience" is oppressive nonsense. To believe that there is a conscience which should govern our conduct implies that we should let others define our identity or tell us what to do. I believe in Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Whoso would be a man (or woman) must be a nonconformist." I believe in doing your own thing. As Mama Cass once sang, "You gotta make your own kind of music."
As easy as it might seem, and as rewarding as it can be, it can be tough to be the parents of an only child. And it can be really tough to be the single parent of an only child. I know, because my parents were the parents of one very difficult and demanding child.