We all have secrets that we hide even from those closest to us. And it’s okay if these secrets are not serious. But some people have such secrets that when they are revealed, everyone is in trouble.

• My mother used never to want to get out of bed when I was 5, and she just kept saying she was sick. Finally, my stepdad took her to a hospital, where she stayed for nearly a month. I thought it was so cool that her hospital let her do arts and crafts all the time; plus, she got better and started doing arts and crafts with me, too, when she got home.
  
  I remember telling her I wished to go to the hospital and draw all day. She sat me down and told me that she hoped I would never get sick like she did, but if I do, there’s nothing wrong with needing help to get better, even if you have to go somewhere for a little while to do it.
  
  It wasn’t until I was probably 13 that it clicked that the hospital she had gone to was a mental health hospital, when I realized I didn’t want to get out of bed myself. But because of her, I’ve never felt shame about needing therapy when things are getting bad or even just to maintain a healthy mindset. © kenda1l / Reddit

• I once dated a girl who had the sweetest grandfather. Years later, I found out that the guy used to rob convenience stores in his youth. Life is full of surprises. © BreadBinBen_89 / Reddit

• I found out recently that 20 years ago, my brother became a financial advisor and managed my dad’s investment portfolio. He lost my dad’s entire 401(k), got fired from his job, and has been on the run ever since.
  This explained why he left home so abruptly when I was young. Despite this, my dad never told me nor pressed charges, and he still paid for my tuition at private schools and university. I love you, Dad. © khadgerler / Reddit

• I found out from my dad that one of my cousins isn’t actually related to anyone in our family. My aunt and her mother used to work at a hospital maternity ward. One day, a woman came in, 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 returned, asking about him. They both lied, saying he had been given up, and claimed they didn’t know where he was. © Existed_ / Reddit

• 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. © follygolly / Reddit

• My in-laws died in a car accident a few years ago. While I was helping my wife clean out their house, I found a bunch of my late mother-in-law’s journals. They included details about the affairs she had while she was married to both of her husbands, as well as her suspicion that my wife’s sister is the product of one affair. My wife and I are the only ones who know. © molten_dragon / Reddit

• My dad had an affair with my current stepmom while he was married to my last stepmom. I had no idea. This information was revealed to me the night I found out my brother was having an affair. © singleguy79 / Reddit

• My mother lied to me about my stepdad being my father. Only when they broke up when I was 13 did she reveal the truth, intending to hurt him. He had cheated, so she wanted to take away the thing he loved most: his baby girl. It was incredibly cruel and selfish.
  At 33, I finally met my biological father. He told me my mother got pregnant on purpose to try and keep him, and that he had paid child support for me my whole life. When I confronted my mom, she wouldn’t answer me, deny it, or look me in the eye. © prettyone_85 / Reddit

• I found out after my dad passed a few months ago that he never looked at me as his daughter (I’m adopted, and an only child). He spent over 30 years being jealous of me for “taking his wife away.” © bakerella328 / Reddit

• I found out that my mom had two kids before my brother and I were born, a secret she kept for over 60 years. It’s a pretty long story, and we’re doing our best to make it have a happy ending.
  © AlfonzL / Reddit

• My mother has been cheating for the entire 30 years of my parents’ marriage. She also only stayed with my dad because he received disability checks. It turns out she’s stolen at least $14,600, that I know of, from my dad. © Lord_Cassidy / Reddit

• “When I was 5 years old, Santa Claus 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.” © Madame_F / Reddit