Yes, I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour, and I don’t agree with the other interpretation of what the “rod” symbolizes. I have other Christian friends who were raised similarly. Is it bad my parents explained it to me this way??
I am not going to speak against your parents. I think the Bible verses are clear. They are not difficult prophetic bits. That we might understandably differ in the interpretation of. The very plain, direct verses are posted in the comments above, easily read.