Janey Godley: Worst thing I ever did was get into this conversation

WHAT is the worst thing you have ever done?” my daughter Ashley asked me. We were discussing religion, forgiveness and faith. These conversations are not the easy chitchat that I enjoy and I don’t recall ever having this kind of talk with my own mammy. There’s a lot to be said about avoiding your children and being distant emotionally, especially when they demand hard facts about your bad behaviour.

It really is a hard question to answer honestly, especially when an automatic list appears in your head. Things I had tried hard to forget and bury deep in the darkest corners of my mind. I don’t do guilt and recrimination very well. I wasn’t born Ca...