12 Stories of Family Secrets That Stayed Buried for Too Long

Family is supposed to be built on trust, but sometimes, there are secrets that stay hidden for years, never to be uncovered. In this article, we share 12 stories of family secrets that were kept buried for too long. These are stories of things left unsaid, hidden parts of family history that remain a mystery.

• "I had a coworker tell me he got married on accident. It was Christmas morning, and he bought his girlfriend a ring as a Christmas present. They were both sitting around the tree and when she opened it she started to cry and said, 'Well, are you going to ask me?'
  That's when he realized what he had done. He got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Moral of the story, don't ever buy a ring for a girl unless you are planning on marrying her." © Unknown author / Reddit

• “At, work, for whatever reason, when I first started I told a girl that I was married. I was never married. It got so out of hand that I actually bought a fake wedding ring.
  The whole hospital thinks I’m a husband. I’ve had friends call in pretending they’re my wife. It’s so crazy out of hand now that I think I would be fired if the truth came out.” © nocomply13 / Reddit

• I was raised by my mom alone. She worked nonstop just to keep us going. Things were really tight.
  One night, all we had was toast with onions. She looked like she might cry while doing the dishes. I wanted to make her feel better, so I said, “Mom, this is my favorite!” Her face lit up.
  Since then, every birthday, every time I come home, it’s there. Toast with onions. I honestly don’t like it. Never really did. But I’ll never tell her that.

• "When I was about 5 I remember being in the bathroom and brushing my teeth. My mum was there and berated me for something.
  Later, being a sensitive child, I was crying in bed about it. My parents came in all concerned and my mum asked, 'Was it because I yelled at you earlier?' Embarrassed at being caught out so easily, I said, 'No... I'm sad because... Because I can't swim.'
  Soon after, I was taken to swimming lessons. I hated swimming." © delicious_eggroll / Reddit

• Every June 4th, someone puts roses on my father’s grave. For 10 years, we wondered who left them: a secret child, a lover, or an old friend.
  This year, I decided to wait there and finally find out. I froze when I realized we were all wrong. It was a man in his 50s, a total stranger.
  When I asked him, he replied, “He saved my life once. He pulled me from the river when I was 18,” then he gave a sad smile, “And no one ever knew but me.”

• “I am a professor, and many times I will tell personal stories in an effort to demonstrate tough concepts. About half of these stories I made up at some point. I don’t remember which ones are real and which ones are lies. So I just go with them and don’t worry about it.” © nop****name1 / Reddit

• My brother’s first child was born on my 10th birthday. He didn’t wish me a happy birthday. Just proudly shared his son’s name: Gus. So I decided to have some fun.
  I convinced my nephew that even though his parents raised him, he was actually my birthday present, so he belongs to me. I also told him that Gus was short for Asparagus. He believed me for years.
  At a family gathering, little Gus told his parents he’d miss them. When they asked why, he said, “Aunty said I’m hers. I was born for her birthday, so I live with her now.” I just shrugged and said, “Well... you did forget my birthday.”

• “I was so scared of bees in grade school and junior high, that I convinced everybody that I am allergic so they don’t judge me when I run from bees.” © Jziggy13 / Reddit

• “Well, I told my parents I graduated from a bachelor’s, and now I’m studying to get another degree. I don’t know what I’m gonna do when they find out that it has been 6 years and I haven’t graduated yet.” © Unknown author / Reddit

• “I told my boss I liked sports during my interview when he was asking me questions about being a team player. I didn’t know the first thing about any sport other than whatever I heard from my friends (stats and team). I made up a bunch of stories about how I played ’a bunch of things’ in college (it wasn’t a complete lie... video games are a sport now, right?).
  When he called me to tell me I got the job, he noted that he had signed me up for a few fantasy leagues. Luckily, I had to finish my 3 months probation before I could join any ’recreational activities’ (i.e. in case I got fired and couldn’t pay up).
  I ended up spending all my time outside of work learning about basketball, football, baseball and hockey (stats, franchise history, key players, plays). A year later and I now run the football league at work.” © go***ow / Reddit

• “I have a horizontal scar on my stomach from a surgery I had when I was a baby. For some reason in elementary school, I would tell everyone that it was from when a bear attacked me. I’m now almost 30 and people I went to elementary school with still recognize me in public as that guy that got attacked by a bear.” © Valgardson / Reddit

• “I lied about graduating high school. I was in a bad place as a teenager and had a rough home life, so I quit to get a job.
  Always filled out graduate on every application, no one ever checked. Always told friends and family that I had enough credits to graduate early, and they always believed me.
  The only one who ever knew the truth other than me was my mom, and she never told a soul. Now here I am, middle-aged with a good job and a good family and no one has a clue.” © trouble1love / Reddit

Before you head out, don’t miss our next article about a mother-in-law who had her birthday party ruined by her pregnant daughter-in-law—but managed to get the last laugh. It’s a story full of unexpected twists, family drama, and how one woman turned the tables in the most satisfying way.