Dark Family Secrets Exposed
Husbands hide things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. These Redditors spilled the beans on the things that their families have tried to keep hidden. Whether it’s a forbidden affair, a long-lost relative, or a chilling double life, these people prove that nothing—and we mean nothing—is ever as it seems.
1. Misdiagnosis
I’m not sure how my dad discovered this, but he found out he had a secret older brother, his parents' oldest child (Ron, if I remember right, named after his dad). When Ron was preschool-aged, my grandparents were told he was mentally disabled.
Horrified, they turned him over to the state and never spoke of him again.
Years later, they learned the truth. Word got back to them that the kid was not, in fact, disabled; he had "auditory dyslexia"(now called auditory processing disorder). He grew up to be a fully functioning, independent adult. He refused to have any contact with the family when my dad reached out. I don’t blame him at all.
2. Secret Sister
When I was a kid, I knew my grandfather was odd. He'd call me his grandson even when I was wearing a dress and clearly female, but my parents would tell me to ignore it.
Then I found out that when my dad was a kid, grandpa had sold my dad's sister Barbara to someone, and kept my dad and his brother because he didn't want a girl in the family.
My dad found his sister Barbara around the time I was in middle school, by making some calls and getting access to records. They were reunited, and she's my favorite aunt now. No one liked Grandpa.
3. When Forgiveness Doesn’t Seem Like a Good Idea
When they were grown, my dad and his younger brother learned that their father had hurt their sister on multiple occasions and threatened her to keep her quiet. She didn't tell anyone until long after it all happened.
Later, she reconnected with her father...and allowed him to meet and spend time with her children. She’s more forgiving than I am.
4. Turnaround
My uncle met his wife during the time he was using substances pretty heavily. She was an, ahem, "lady of the evening". They have two kids now and they're great parents, nobody would ever guess that they have a rather dark past.
They haven't let it visibly affect them at all.
