12 Deep Family Secrets That Had Been Hidden Behind the Nice Facade

Family is the most valuable part of our lives, but sometimes it holds deep histories and thrilling secrets we may never uncover. These hidden stories can surprise us, reminding us how rich and mysterious our roots truly are.

• My dad left when I was 7 and we were always told that it just didn't work out with my parents. We saw him off and on for about 2 years after he left then never saw him again. He had remarried and she had a kid that became his stepson that my brother and I would hang with when we would go to my dad's house, then when I turned 13 my mom finally told me that the stepson was actually his son from having an affair with that woman. So that kid was my half brother and I had no clue. © Overall_Cod2206 / Reddit

• My grandmother married her second husband entirely for money. Her daughters both like to joke about her intentionally giving him a heart attack. He had heart problems but liked to eat unhealthy food, and the rumor goes she would put extra salt and butter on his food until he finally kicked the bucket. © xain_the_***ot / Reddit

• After both of my grandparents on my dad's side had passed away, my dad discovered he had a sister. While cleaning out my grandparents' apartment, he found her birth certificate. After some research, he learned that he had a sister who was severely mentally disabled.
  It seems my grandparents weren’t prepared to raise a child with her needs. Unfortunately, they’re no longer around to question. My dad was 46 when he found out about his sister. © and_of_four / Reddit

• Found out my uncle is actually my brother, my mom had him when she was so young that my grandparents raised him. © Picklesgal111 / Reddit

• This is kind of messed up, but my parents told me my mom had a bad back because I pushed on her spine during birth. This was what I thought all my childhood. I think I was in my teens when my older brother told me my dad pushed my mom during an argument and she fell and had to have surgery. I thought I ruined my mom's back my entire childhood and they let me believe it. © thtssotrue / Reddit

• I found out I had a sister who had been given up for adoption. The only reason I found out was the person who informed me no longer felt bound to secrecy after my mom died. And the person who told me had "receipts" solid enough that I have no reason to doubt them. © zombiemann / Reddit

• We found out that my parents had a baby together when they were 15, but their parents forced them to give him up and break up. When my mom turned 18, they got married and had me, then my sister four years later.
  I was 24 when we discovered we had an older full brother. Ten years have passed since finding out, and we still have never met him. © ifindthishumerus / Reddit

• When I was 5 years old (1988), Santa left a Nintendo on our front porch. It was wrapped in newspaper, and my parents had no idea who gifted it to us. My dad, particularly, tried to figure it out. He was always suspicious that it had been a family friend. It was by far the best gift of the year, and we played it all the time throughout our childhood. My dad died in 2004. Last Christmas, my mom explained that she was the one who had bought it and surreptitiously placed it on the porch. My dad really liked to be in control of things and had forbidden the purchase. She knew better. She didn't tell a soul for 30 years. Thanks, Mom. © Madame_F / Reddit

• I found out that my birth mother actually wanted a relationship with me but gave custody to my dad when I was two because her rude husband didn’t want me around. I had always been told she never wanted me, and still, to this day, I barely know her from a stranger on the street. © Unknown author / Reddit

• About a month ago, my mother-in-law's 88-year-old sister revealed on her deathbed that her husband's best friend was actually the father of all 4 of her children. Her husband was an abusive man by all accounts. While everyone was shocked, no one was saddened by this news. © roo1ster / Reddit

• My cousin is adopted, but for years we were told not to mention it because she didn’t know. I was talking about it with my dad one day because I couldn’t believe she didn’t know. During the conversation, he let it slip that my older sister was conceived using donor sperm. After a moment, he added that I was also conceived using donor sperm. Our two younger siblings, however, were not and were completely unexpected. It turns out that my older sister knew, but that my mom made both my sister and dad promise not to tell me. I’m not entirely sure why I wasn’t supposed to know, but they managed to keep it a secret until I was 22 (I’m 23 now). © yetulmk / Reddit

• My dad fathered a child in high school. His side of the family knew, and my mom. We found out years after he died that we have a half-sister. © 2leewhohot / Reddit

Every family is different, and they all have their secrets. Some are sweet and harmless, but others can be so big they might tear a family apart. Secrets can shape how families grow or struggle.