Ignorance is bliss…right?
It’s only natural that our parents hide things from us. Sometimes it’s to keep us safe; other times, it’s to keep our perception of them safe. Either way, every mom or dad has some skeletons in their closet.
The parents of the internet recently took to Reddit to share the most outrageous secrets that they’ve been keeping from their kids and honestly, a lot of them are downright shocking.
I’m talking “change your entire life” kind of shocking.
Mile High
“My daughter was conceived at work, on airport property, in the back of a Ford Focus, while we were waiting for a flight to land,” a father reveals, “She knows nothing about this but tells me she wants to be a pilot when she grows up.”
Crying Over Spilled Milk
“My father found out when he was in his 40’s that his father was not his biological father,” a commenter writes, “His mother (my grandmother) literally cheated on her husband with the milk man.”
Criminal Minds
“My mom kept it a secret that the woman I was named after (her mom, my grandma) was stabbed to death by my uncle when my mom was 18,” a teen shares, “I always suspected my grandma had a tragic death because of how my mom would avoid talking about it, but I didn’t know it was that tragic.”
Visiting Hours
This woman admits that she lied to her children about where their father lived for most of their lives.
“We weren’t actually visiting daddy at ‘his work’, it’s a secure psychiatric ward where he’s been since [my daughter] was 3 months old.”
Sister Act
“My parents told me my sister is adopted,” one commenter writes, “But they didn’t tell her. She’s 34. Help what do I do?”
Mother Dearest
“My father told me my mother was dead all throughout my childhood and everyone in the family supported the lie,” this man explains, “Not because my mother was on drugs or abusive, or a criminal, or even a bad person. Just because they had a huge argument one night and he decided she would never be allowed to be in my life again…On my 18th birthday, she called our house and asked to speak with me. So, I found out the truth.”
Growing Pains
One man reveals that he hasn’t told his eight-year-old daughter that she has a shortened life span from a terminal illness.
“She will die within a few years,” he admits.
Chicken Little
“I’m working out how to explain that the chicken we eat is the same as the kind of chickens that live on a farm,” a mom writes, “I know, not a big deal, but trust me…it won’t go over well.”
Safe Travels
“A friend of ours told her 4-year-old son that hid dad went to work overseas until the kid turned 18,” a woman explains, “The husband died late last year of kidney failure. There is no outcome that is good for this kid.”
Matters Of Head And Heart
One man’s father told him his whole life that his mother fell down often because she suffered from vertigo.
“I later found out that he was an alcoholic,” he revealed.
Golden Ticket
“We hit the lottery for 12.5 million dollars and nobody in our family – including our children has any idea,” this man admits, “We have kept our lives pretty normal… We both work so there looks like there’s an income coming in…We just didn’t want to ruin our relationships with everyone or spoil our kids.”
I Do
“That we’re divorced,” a Redditer reveals, “Years before they came along, spouse and I decided it wasn’t working out and got divorced. Years later, things still weren’t working out fantastically for both of us, so we got back together. Never did get around to getting remarried though.”
True Love
“I hate their father,” one woman writes, “Sometimes he is tolerable, but overall, I hate him.”
All Tied Up
One husband admits that there’s at least a 50/50 chance that his eldest child was conceived at a fetish club.
“He would flip if he saw our bedroom closet,” he says.
Sad Start
“I’m an adoptive parent of three kids two of which are biological siblings and cousins,” a man writes, “Found out a year after the adoption that the biological parents were half siblings who shared the same dad. The kids are now 16 and 13 respectively and have zero clue that they are a product of incest.”
Quiet Time
This one is probably the most lighthearted of the bunch.
“Posting here so when my kids are old enough to snoop they get a split second of excited expectation before they are greeted by my saying I do really enjoy having sex with their mother.”
The Grass Is Greener
“They know daddy works with money,” a mother of two writes, “But they don’t know it’s in the cannabis industry.”
Smile And Nod
“My wife and I each have a child from a previous marriage. Both of our ex-spouses were abusive cheaters,” one woman explains, “Both children still adore and idolize their other parent and we just keep smiling and nodding.”
Sleeping Beauty
“Apparently mom gave me a lot of sleeping pills when I was a little child,” this teenager admits, “So she could leave me alone at home to maintain her relationship with her lover while my dad was working in another country.. that cleared up many things.”
Closing The Gap
“My daughter knows that her grandparents are getting a divorce,” a mother explains, “She doesn’t know that it’s because grandpa (72) decided to knock up a 23 year old. We will talk about it once she’s older, but I don’t want to normalize that relationship for a preadolescent.”
Innocence Is Bliss
“My sister’s oldest doesn’t know that her younger sister, whom she loved with all her heart was kidnapped, raped and then shot in the head,” a woman reveals, “She believes that the younger one died in a car accident. That’s pretty effed up according to me.”
Miracle Baby
“My 3-year-old is an absolute miracle. Her birth mom (my wife’s sister) didn’t want her, basically tried for an intentional miscarriage via massive drinking and drug use,” one mother reveals, “Born 11 weeks premature, and with 5 different drugs in her system, she shouldn’t even be alive by most medical estimations, yet here she is. Slight developmental setbacks, but she is solidly inside the bell curve. She will know none of this until she is in her teens, most likely.”
Unfortunate Truth
“My adopted daughter was conceived as a result of a gang rape,” this woman wrote, “Experts say you are supposed to give your adopted children all of their history when they are old enough, but honestly if it were me I would just rather not know. We are considering not ever telling her. It weights heavy on our hearts.”
Rock Bottom
“My son is still very young, but I’m not planning to tell him his dad left us for meth and another woman,” one comment reveals, “He’s clean now and they actually split. He’s at least involved again.”
Half And Half
“This last Christmas I found out that not only was my mom had already been previously married and divorced but my dad had a kid before he married my mom,” one kid explains, “So I have a half brother or sister that I have never met.”
The Accident
“I don’t want my son to know that he was an unwanted accident,” one mother admits, “Even during my pregnancy, I didn’t want a child. I was still so young and had my whole career ahead of me. I wanted to travel the world, finish school, and advance myself in life to the fullest.”
Mama
“My wife is not the biological mother of our twins,” a father admits, “We did IVF and their biological mother was an egg donor from a country in South America. My wife carried them and gave birth to them, but has no biological connection. We’ll tell them some day when they’re older.”
Struggling
“We are so poor,” a parent writes, “They’re little so they don’t notice. But we struggle a lot to pay the rent and buy groceries.”
Every Penny
“My whole family thinks I’m awful with money because I’m super broke despite having a good job,” a woman shares, “But I’m actually socking away every spare penny to put my niece through college and to take care of my parents when they can’t work anymore.”
New Year Old Tricks
“I’ve been changing every clock in the house on New Years eve to 3 hours early,” one mother admits, “At 9 PM we celebrate the new year, then hang out for a hour. He thinks he breaking every rule and has a great time.”
Gramps
“Grandpa’s not their grandpa. I didn’t find out until I was 30 that my dad adopted me and my mom was married to someone else when I was born,” this woman shares, “My 15-year-old was looking at those DNA kits in the store. ‘I wonder what surprises it would find!’ Oh, more than you think, sweetie.”
Never Coming
“The baby brother she keeps asking for has caused so much heart break,” a mother admits, “I had a miscarriage and every time she asks when she’s getting a baby brother I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut.”
Sunday School
“My daughter doesn’t know I’m an atheist,” a father reveals, “She goes to a Christian private school. Going to be an interesting conversation when she is a little older.”
Doubled Up
“My parents hid from me for over half my life that I actually had a twin sister,” a young woman reveals, “But she had died at birth.”
Sick Day
“My bad health. My daughter is two and she just wants mommy to play,” a woman explains, “How do you explain cancer to a two year old?”
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Family History
“My sons paternal grandmother shot and killed her husband,” a woman admits, “I don’t know if I’ll ever tell him the truth.”
Not So Sweet Dreams
“A couple of years ago, I sent my dad to jail for taking pornographic pictures of my little girl when he was asleep,” this woman reveals, “She has no idea.”
Get Well Soon
“My dad cheated on my mother while she was going through cancer treatments,” a teen explains, “Every Valentine’s Day I would receive flowers from my dad and get so happy. My mom would smile and nod and get excited with me. I would call him and thank him. He never sent me flowers. It was my mom who sent them all the years.”
Neighborhood Watch
“I only found out a couple of years ago that my ‘grandfather’ was a pedophile and molested most of my aunts and maybe uncles,” one woman reveals, “That also explained why about 90% of my uncles and aunts have been raging alcoholics for their entire lives.”
Night Shift
“I’m hiding a lot of things,” one woman shares, “My kids don’t know that I used to be a stripper for 10 years, and that I was kidnapped and taken to another country because of it.”
h/t: Ask Reddit
