Whether fortunate or not, family isn’t something you get to choose. You’re born into a unique group of people, each with their quirks, strengths, and flaws. The journey with them is like a winding road, filled with a blend of joyous moments and unexpected challenges, making family life both a source of deep connection and occasional frustration.
- My best friend got married, the bride’s side of the family said they would pay for the wedding if it was within reason. So they kept everything within reason. Instead of paying for the wedding, the bride’s family spent the money on a vacation and didn’t tell them. So they had to postpone their wedding because nothing was paid for.
So my friend and his wife eventually paid for the wedding themselves. When the big day finally came, the bride’s family gave $150 and an I.O.U in a card saying, “we owe you a better gift.” The family has a boat, a jag, and took another vacation that year. © fenixqns / Reddit
- I have a very devoted mother. She would do anything for her kids. My sister called her one day, saying she had health issues and needed $5000 for the surgery that she’s going to need. She tells my mom everything: who the doctor is, what they are going to do.
My mom in tears rushes to take out a loan and immediately heads to pay for it, where, as you might have guessed, finds out my sister lied about the whole thing. When my mom calls her to ask her what’s going on, my sister yells at her for going to the doctor’s office first and not just giving her the money and hangs up on her. © crunknizzle / Reddit
- My father asked my mother for a divorce on my birthday. He took everything they had in their home, and started dating a 20-year-old. I took out a $6000 loan to refurnish a house I started renting with my mother who passed away 2 months after moving in.
In her final email, she told my father to give me the life insurance, so I can pay the loan back. He took off with it. He bought a truck and a stereo. He left me broke, with a debt I couldn’t pay and a little brother to take care of. © nee178 / Reddit
- My dad started working abroad as soon as he got out of high school. He didn’t really spend money, but instead just sent it all back to his mom to keep for him, or use in the event of an emergency. She used the money to keep up with bills, then sold their farm and made a bunch of money.
Fast-forward a couple of years. My dad married my mom. They had my little brother, who was born with respiratory issues. My dad asked to borrow money from his mom to pay the medical bills, which were obscene. She told him no and that he shouldn’t have had a kid if he couldn’t afford it. © Dovienya / Reddit
- My son passed away when he was just a child. I had him cremated and kept his ashes in a vase in my room. Years later, during my divorce from my wife, I came home from work one day to find that the ashes had unexpectedly vanished.
The most devastating part is that, after twenty years, I still have no idea where they went. My only assumption is that my ex-wife discarded them. It was my son from a previous marriage, not hers.
- My friend was made to pay rent to his parents by the time he was 14. He never saw a movie until his was 15, and always worn handed-down clothes. He grew up poor, or so he thought, and paid his own way through college. Then, years after graduating, he discovered his parents were loaded. © frugaldutchman / Reddit
- My grandmother was pretty old and not in a position to live alone, so she decided to sell her home. This was on top of the remainder of my grandfather’s pension, so she had about $50000 or so. She asked my father to handle all the bank work.
One day, my father called her, asking if she was well enough to go to the bank, but his sister’s (my aunt’s) boyfriend picked up, said it was taken care of and hung up. They had tricked my grandmother into putting all that money into their account, which they had no intention of letting her access.
Luckily, Dad was able to explain to Nan what my aunt did, and the bank (having known and respected my grandfather) reversed the transfer. © mb86 / Reddit
- It was Christmastime, and my boyfriend got some gifts from his father and his father’s girlfriend for Christmas. His sister got much, much more, due to her being really spoiled. The next day, his father took all of his gifts back to the store to buy his sister some more stuff. © lmpetigo / Reddit
- When I was 17, I wanted a car, so I arranged with my dad to buy his 82 Omega. I worked hard at my menial cashier job that paid $4.25 an hour, and gave him $100 a month for 5 months until I had paid it off. I was so proud!
Now, all he had to do was give me the title and let me register it, but he said, “No, you can’t have my car.” A month later, he sold it to someone else for $500 also. I had no car and was out 500 bucks. He never did give me my money back. © Unknown Author / Reddit
- Husband and I have a rule: no checking our phones during dinner. Last night, halfway through the meal, his phone lit up. He glanced at it, but continued eating. Five minutes later, it buzzed again, repeatedly. This time, he picked it up and yelled, “OH NO! MOM!”
He then called the police, gave them his mom’s address, and ran out. An hour later, he called me, sighed heavily, and explained: turned out my MIL had told him over the phone that there had been a burglary. Panicked, he called the police and raced over to her house. Apparently, someone had stolen her potatoes from the garden in the morning, but she had portrayed it as a burglary on the phone.
By the time my MIL clarified what had really happened to my husband, two officers had already arrived at her house. My husband tried to explain the situation to them. To say he was mortified is an understatement.
Every family has stories and secrets that stay hidden for years, but eventually, the truth comes out. When it does, the revelations can be surprising or unsettling. In this article, you’ll find short stories of people who were shaken by discovering their family’s dark past.