There’s no cite for anecdata, but I’ve seen the same too. Very intense Christian or conservative parents winding up with hardcore atheist or liberal kids.
I see that all the time in the large atheist community I’m a part of. At least half the people came from a super-religious family. BUT, it is rare for it to happen the other way around, for the atheist family to have one member who becomes ultra-religious.
As a Christian who grew up in this sort of environment myself, I would chalk this phenomenon up to several factors:
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In general, life as a Christian is tough compared to that of an atheist - in the sense that there are far more rules and whatnot to follow. Being an atheist means you don’t have to go to church on Sundays, pray or read the Bible, you can do almost anything you want (such as premarital sex) as long as it’s legal and safe, you don’t fear God’s judgment, etc. So it makes sense that people - especially young people - would be much likelier to transition from the tougher lifestyle towards the easy one than vice versa.
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Peer pressure - in general, you’re much likelier to encounter pressure to go atheist from school peers than to go Christian (unless you’re going to a religious school.) And teachers in general are likelier to influence their pupils to go in the atheist direction than the Christian direction. And the media, entertainment, Hollywood, etc. all is likelier to lead one down the non-religious direction as well.
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Some Christian parents have this notion that they can ram religion down their kid’s throats and that is somehow the same as that kid actually have a genuine conversion to Christianity. They think that if they can brutally enforce church attendance, Bible-reading, prayer, etc. that they’ve produced a genuine believer. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that doing so often generates backlash and rebellion.
My parents were atheist radicals and I turned out to be an atheist progressive/liberal. I guess you could call that a rebellion/reaction. If you squint really hard 
Or you could just chalk it up to the kid started to think for him/herself using logic and powers of observation.
Actually I agree more with what Velocity said above. Most just become disillusioned or frustrated with it or have terrible experiences with it. Now I can and have seen many just quit going or wanting to be identified as one from what your saying.
Now the question would be, who’s family would have the hardest time of this?
My grandmother was vehemently atheist, and one of her six children became religious. My parents never practiced, and while their children weren’t raised specifically atheist, we were raised with no religious education or practice. One of my sisters became sort of religious, and two of her children considerably more so.
None of them are anything I’d call ultra-religious; but while it may be less common, some people raised in secular families do take up religion.
Sorry, but this is just false. When you say “there’s no cite for anecdata” what you really mean is “a quick google for cites would prove me wrong”.
Ahh, the ‘You’re [/u]only[/u] an atheist because you want to sin.’ dismissal!
CMC
And this bit was interesting. Do you think that atheists are running around trying to convert Christians? In my experience, most atheists are fairly live and let live; if you’re quiet about your Christianity, they’re quiet about their atheism.
As an Hindu atheist, it’s my understanding that atheism is not for everyone. That some people are predisposed to adopting belief systems (as theorized in Hindu philosophy). Sort of like how some people are genetically predisposed to gambling addictions. Some people see patterns and Devine designs when there are no such things.
Cite : https://www.nhs.uk/news/genetics-and-stem-cells/gambling-addiction-linked-to-genes/
Again, this is not a belief, just my best understanding at the current time. I am ready to change it, if there is evidence to the contrary.
They’re not trying to actively convert Christians, but in general, someone is likelier to face mockery for claiming in class that the Earth is only 8,000 years old, versus several billion years old (not that all Christians are YECs, but that is one tangential example.) Or the term “Jesus freak,” for instance - you don’t hear terms like “atheist freak.”
That’s not the same thing. I said life is easier. There are far fewer rules and restrictions or requirements.
As I said, atheists will leave you alone if you don’t make ridiculous claims about the age of the Earth and the rest of the universe.
Life is easier as an atheist only if you ignore all the ways in which it isn’t. The whole constantly being marginalized by what is supposed to be a secular state, the loss of community or constant pressure to change for “coming out”, and being persistently vilified as one of the last minority groups it’s generally acceptable to publicly put down (though certain ruling politicians are definitely making strides to be more expansive in that regard—by bringing back open racism and other bigotry to political discourse).
When was the last time the term “Jesus freak” was commonly used-perhaps the early 1970s, half a century ago?
Oh, yes, about that. Instead of “atheist freak” you just hear “atheist”. The pejorative connotation in that word by itself is supposed to be understood. Much as when a Republican (or even some Democrats) makes reference to socialism. The word in and of itself is considered to be extreme or distasteful enough to make the audience sneer, whether it should or not.
“Atheist,” as commonly used, is already shorthand for evil, so no need to append something else to it.
Nah. It just looks easier to you. I have to answer to a higher authority-me. I have figure out my own moral imperatives and the strategies (i.e. rules) to reach them, rather than have them handed to me. It’s actually harder and more work.