Whether you come from a super strict background or a very lenient one, I think most of us are guilty at some point of making assumptions about out parents. Especially about the things we think they won’t approve of.

As Maggie describes them, her parents are Conservative Christians and look down on people with tattoos.

Maggie has been getting tattoos for 12 years but her parents have no idea. They live a state away and every time she visits she wears long pants and covering clothing and jewelry.

She was tired of hiding this huge part of her from them and – you can tell just by how she talks and even one of her tattoos! – she was aching to have a closer relationship with them. She made this video with This American Life and they even enlisted the help of a minister to break the news to her parents. The result are pretty beautiful.

The people in your life will love you for who you are. If they don’t, that’s their own issues that they need to work through. But at least you’ll know you have a real relationship with the ones who are there.

And, if you’re really lucky, your revelations might mean you end up learning even more about them at the same time.