16 Shocking Family Secrets People Have Kept All Their Lives

Family secrets can lay dormant, hidden in shadows for years, only to be unveiled with shocking, life-changing impact. These revelations alter our perception of relatives, forever shifting the dynamics of our relationships. Today, we delve into the depths of family secrets, uncovering the darkest truths people have discovered about their own flesh and blood. Brace yourself as we ask: What’s the darkest secret you’ve unearthed about a family member?

Hidden Addiction

One upsetting story was, “My favorite aunt and uncle (they were together for 15 years but never married) lived in a trailer park. Growing up, they were the funniest to be around, baked cookies, did paintings together, etc. My uncle died in his sleep one day. I was told as a child, I was maybe 10, that he died from his diabetes. Fast forward about 6 years, my aunt lived with my grandma now and was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now, I knew my aunt always smoked cigarettes and drank beer a lot, but my mom decided to tell me she was an addict. Up until my uncle died, they did drugs. My uncle most likely overdosed. I miss her so fu****ng much.”

Criminal History

To start, a user replied, “My grandmother used to kidnap and sell young girls in Mexico in the ’50s and ’60s. She would sell them to ranchers. She was not a good person at all.”

Illicit Affair

An interesting reply was, ‘Both of my mother’s parents had affairs without the other’s knowledge. My grandmother had Parkinson’s, and in one of her confused states, she told my grandfather that she had an affair. Suffice it to say my grandfather was not happy and put her in a home. He then started talking to my mother, trying to figure out when it could have happened. He speculated that it happened around the same time he was having his affair, which was around 1966. My mother was shocked. She was born in 1967. So my mother may or may not be related to the man she believed to be her father.”

Past Trauma/Abuse

A comment was, “A cousin confided in me a month ago that she was abused by my grandfather when we were kids. She even told me that I was there with her when this was happening, and I somehow don’t remember anything about it. I hope he’s burning in he**** for it.”

Hidden Identity

One story was, “I learned from my dad that one of my cousins isn’t related to anyone in the family. My aunt and her mother used to work at a hospital maternity ward, and apparently, a woman came in one day and gave birth to him and then left the next day without him. My aunt decided to adopt him, but a few months later, the woman showed up again, asking where he was. They both lied that he was given up and didn’t know where he was.”

Dark Family Legacy

A user replied, “Well, my family is mega fu****ed as it is. Sister’s living in a crack house on heroin. My Brother and his wife are addicted to meth and coke. The other 3 siblings are all on coke. I’m literally the only one of us that saw that behavior and was like, “Yeah, not for me.”

Secret Siblings

A user said, “My great uncle told his wife that their son died right after being born and gave him up to the state because he had Down’s Syndrome. They had twins, a boy, and a girl, and he somehow hid it from the whole family for about 40 years. It was only found when the family lawyer was dying and contacted the sister to tell her she has a living brother who lives in a home run by the state. He had helped my great uncle with the whole thing and still felt terrible about it.”

Mysterious Accidents/Disappearances 

“There is strong debate in our family as to whether my aunt fell out of the window of her flat, whether she jumped or was pushed. She survived, but with brain damage, and says she can’t remember.”

A second wrote, “Found out that a great great uncle pretty much got away with murder. His wife turns up dead, and she had bruising around her neck. Criminal forensics wasn’t too advanced back in the early 1900s. Don’t know how they ruled how she died, but he remained free and ended up marrying her sister a couple of months later.”

Dark Family History

A user said, “My father tried to rid me of my mother while she was pregnant with me.”

A second user added, “I found out that my grandfather’s first wife (before my grandma) died of botulism from eating some tomatoes she had canned at home. She could have been saved, but he refused to take her to the doctor because the botulism was her “fault.” He let her die to teach her a lesson.”

Hidden Wealth/Inheritance

A crazy story was “That my grandfather murdered his own brother to inherit his money.”

Family Member’s Criminal Past

One user said, “When I was a kid, we went to my grandma’s house every Sunday, and all of my uncles and aunts would be there. one day I noticed that one of my uncles didn’t show up anymore, so I asked my family where he was. they told me that he wouldn’t be able to visit anymore because he moved away. years later, I found out that he killed two women, and they locked him up.”

Secret Double Identity

A surprising comment was, “My father used to go to parks and highway rest secretly stops to meet other men for anonymous s****x. Just in case you’re wondering, he really hated gay people.”

Controversial Activities

One Redditor wrote, “A relative tried to poison one of their guests. Once I learned about it, it finally sealed the deal for me and forever changed my view on them. They were bonkers anyway, but good lord, that’s too much.”

Hidden Family/Spouse

A crazy comment was, “Two years ago, I found out that my Dad had a wife before my Mom, and she died in a freak accident on their wedding night.”

Another comment was, “My step-grandfather had a completely hidden life in Australia before he met my grandmother. He had a family and kids in Australia and faked his death by driving his car off a cliff and then moving to America. His kids thought he was dead until my grandmother found out about them and reached out years later. His son actually became a famous comedian over there, and from what I know, has a joke he does at his shows about his father faking his death to disconnect from them.”

Hidden Mental/Physical Health Issues

One user wrote, “My uncle’s family claimed he had polio instead of a hereditary crippling disease. His wife figured it out when she went to their family reunion. She already had one child and was pregnant with another.”

Shocking Parentage

A shocking story was, “After a 23andme, my friend realized that his mom had over 150 siblings. He had been the product of a eugenics experiment carried out by an ex-nazi doctor in California. He was a fertility expert. Wound up impregnating many women with his own sperm.”

Source: Reddit

Top 15 Things People Start to Hate As They Get Older That Surprises Them

Do you notice a growing grumpiness as the years go by? Are there things that now irk you that never bothered you before? Don’t worry, my fellow friends, you’re not alone. Let’s take a closer look at the things we find ourselves disliking more and more as we age. Top 15 Things People Start to Hate As They Get Older That Surprises Them

Top 20 Signs of Childhood Trauma That Last into Adulthood

Going through trauma a child often causes a life-long impact on that person’s mental health and overall well-being. These experiences can manifest in a variety of ways, and they can be challenging for individuals to identify and deal with. Top 20 Signs of Childhood Trauma That Last into Adulthood

The Top 10 Things Boomers Had As Kids That Our Kids Need Badly Today

Things were different in the old day, but were they harder? Generations before us talk about how hard life was growing up when they did. Do you think it was? Hard work has changed over time, but does that mean it is easier? We are diving into things our kids could use that generations before us had to endure. The Top 10 Things Boomers Had As Kids That Our Kids Need Badly Today

Top 14 Intimate Secrets that People Often Keep From Their Families

In the complex network of family ties, there are often thoughts and secrets we keep to ourselves, hesitant to reveal them to our loved ones. “What is something you would never admit to your family?” Delving into the depths of our minds, we confront the unexpressed longings, anxieties, and remorse that remain concealed. Top 14 Intimate Secrets that People Often Keep From Their Families

Aging Traditions: 15 Things That Will Unfortunately Not Continue Happening After The Boomers Pass On

Boomers are a hardworking, brutally honest generation that is often taken the wrong way and misunderstood by younger generations. Their advice often comes from a good place, even if it is not delivered the way the young ones would like to hear it. Some trademark things Boomers do, many think, will disappear once they are gone. What will you miss them doing? Aging Traditions: 15 Things That Will Unfortunately Not Continue Happening After The Boomers Pass On