Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
It's no secret that we all have secrets. Some of them we hide from the whole world, while others just from certain people. For instance, maybe we spill our guts about something to our friends, but hide it from others in our lives.
Some time ago, Reddit users asked folks to share what kind of secrets they never told their family members. Many people joined in with their stories. Apparently, sometimes secrets you hide from your family don't have to be hidden from the online world.
More info: Reddit 1 | Reddit 2
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That my dog saved my life. When I was 14 I was pretty depressed, and after a particularly difficult day at school (I was not exactly popular) I grabbed some rope from my garage and planned on hanging myself. I started getting it set up, but my dog came running in and wanted to play tug of war with the rope.
If he didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be here today. It’s hard for me to type this because I’m putting him down in a few minutes. He has been living in pain for a long time and has reached the end of his life. I’m crying really f*****g hard right now but I know it’s the right thing to do.
RELATED:
#2
That my now-husband supported both of us completely while I was in med school (we were only dating 1 year when this arrangement started, we got married 2 weeks after graduation). My parents think I took out loans to cover rent, books, food, etc...but the husband and I had a serious conversation about it and he made enough money to support both of us without more loans.
They'd be disappointed because they always wanted me to be independent, but it worked out in the end for us.
DennyS (denzoren) 2 months ago
"It worked out in the end for us" and "the husband and I had a serious conversation" is all that matters.
#3
My mom does this thing where she remembers my youth way different than it happned, mostly to protect her psyche I think. So really I don't hide anything from her so much as I don't confront her with the awful reality of it all, how many emotional problems she saddled me with, how unprepared for life she left me.
I mean don't get me wrong, I want to. But I just don't see what good it'd do.
Nearly all of us have some sort of secret. In fact, some say that the average person has around 13 secrets at any given time.
While some secrets can be quite extreme, others don’t have to be daunting. It can be something that is simply no one else’s business – for instance, an insignificant detail about their character a person doesn’t like telling others about.
#4
So everybody wrote kinda depressing things in here... but for the past two years I’ve been pulling a “Santa” on my parents by buying gifts for them (going to the mall w/ my friends) and then putting them under the tree when they are all asleep... its still a family secret and I don’t know if they suspect me. But it’s really funny, highly recommend if you are a good liar. Make sure you buy new wrapping paper too, so they don’t recognize it.
Bidango Smith 2 months ago
OP should remember to slip one in there with their name to REALLY confuse the family. It would be pretty obvious if they are the only one not getting a mystery gift.
#5
My mother is incredibly militant we never use "The big light" in the front room, we must only ever use lamps. To the point where she took the bulb out of it and for years we haven't had one in there.
Well last time they went away on holiday I put a bulb in there and she still hasn't noticed.
I never use the big light, but I could, I could...
#6
I'm gay, sorry mom.
Today’s list is a perfect example of this. In it, you can find plenty of secrets people have kept hidden from their families, and they range from wholesome to frankly a little bit disturbing or sad.
Here, an individual saying that he secretly leaves Santa gifts for his parents is wholesome. Then, there are those in the middle, quite common secrets, like skipping classes, smoking or orientation. And then there are those about hidden hatred, physical and mental illnesses, and so on.
#7
That I refuse to date boys until she stop putting such a high value on my virginity. She flat out says 'a woman is worthless once she loses it', so guess what b***h. Not grandkids untill you leave me the f**k alone and let me go be a normal 21 year old that isn't ashamed of even being in a room alone with someone.
#8
That I have stage 4 terminal breast cancer. I just turned 40 and am the youngest of their three children.
My parents are in their late 70s / early 80s with plenty of their own health problems. Worrying about me would serve no purpose. Lying to them sucks though.
#9
Pretty much everything. No contact for 16yrs now. But means I have to strictly filter anything I let my grandparents know, because my life and family details are not something I want them to let my parents know. Anyone raised by a narcissistic personality and an enabler will relate. Screwed me up enough tyvm, you do NOT come near my kids.
There are quite a few reasons why people keep secrets. Actually, the main one, which basically covers all of the others under its umbrella, is to protect oneself.
After all, some actions a person has done and now is hiding can be viewed as socially unacceptable or even immoral. Like if they did something criminal – like theft, harming someone, consuming something, or something else.
Then, people also could be simply ashamed to disclose what they’re hiding. Maybe they’re feeling something for someone and they’re afraid to get rejected, or perhaps they have done something embarrassing, and so on.
#10
How much I struggle with my life , mainly with anxiety and how I struggle to recognize my emotions and to communicate them or to handle them in general.
Svenne O'Lotta 2 months ago
That hit waaaaaay too hard. On the other hand it significantly helped with my imposter syndrome. I have ADHD too.
#11
My mother cooks a turkey so dry it could be a middle eastern state.
Oh wait, I've already told her that. Thank goodness I got to spend American Turkey Day with my professional chef brother in law.............it was so so so good.
Julia Mckinney 2 months ago
Ok, I like the line, that's really funny. Yeah, I sloow-ly learned how to cook a turkey myself, but, I got better at it!
#12
That I'm an atheist.
Living in the south, they're both extremely conservative, highly religious people. My dad has actually recently become a pastor. I was raised in church and sent to a private Christian school. It k**ls me to spend time with them because the only thing they seem to be able to talk about is church gossip.
They're the kind of people that make personal choices like this about themselves. I don't think they have any idea, and if they were to ever find out, I don't think I would ever hear the end of how they believe that they failed as parents. I think they would just spend the rest of their lives trying to "fix" me.
So, I just avoid speaking to them as much as possible. It's sad, really.
Another reason why people keep secrets can be because it can ruin their existing relationships.
Like a kid being afraid to come out to their parents or peers, as they might react very poorly, or a person being fearful to confess romantic feelings to a friend, possibly ruining their friendship. Confessing to a lie can also negatively affect a relationship and, in the process, the person themselves.
And that’s just a few mentioned reasons – there are plenty more. Ultimately, people are complicated, which sometimes makes providing explanations for their actions complicated as well.
#13
I quit my job with the cable company a year earlier than I told them. The pressure and stress from that job became overwhelming and it was right around the time my grandmother died and I legit dropped everything and worked at a car dealership for a year before I got my insurance licenses.
#14
I told everyone that my phone was stolen. In reality I gave it, on a train, to a guy who wanted to make a phone call real quick. He did not return. I'm an idiot.
#15
This is kinda really stupid but I hide my online friendships cause they're kinda closed minded and A) dont believe that you should talk to people "you dont know", B) internet bad, and C) if you talk to a guy online, it must be a sexual thing.
What makes the whole secrets deal even more intricate is the fact that while revealing them can hurt a person, keeping them can too. For instance, it can make a person upset or even stressed, which negatively impacts their mental health.
Stress can also hurt physical health too – boosting blood pressure, inhibiting sleep, and even increasing chronic pain. Doesn’t sound good, does it?
Well, it’s always important to look within yourself and figure out whether it’s more beneficial for you to share the secret or hide it. Or perhaps figure out who to share the secret with. Like in this list, they hid these things from their families but didn’t shy away from spilling them online.
Do you have some secret that you want to share on the internet? You can do that in the comments!
#16
I don't respect either of them in the slightest and I think they're some of the most passive, unthoughtful, closed-minded people I've ever seen.
#17
I'm not trying to hide it but I'm not going to just tell them out of nowhere but I used to skip like half my classes my senior year of high school and slept in a secret room in the school.
Fun fact: That secret room had a lot of our rival schools old trophies in it. I spent a whole day one time going through them.
#18
My family have a rough background, a lot of violence and substance use problems. I left home at 16, haven't spoken to them since, and after seven years of university have a pretty high-paying job.
I have to constantly ask websites to take down my full name because if my family found out, I'd be swamped with messages asking for money that would go straight to alcohol and ice. They already have an idea after I didn't catch a result fast enough, so it doesn't really matter and I loosened up my social media. But I still hide my income.
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
How about just telling them to eff off and refusing to engage with them?
#19
They'll never know how depressed I really am, because, I cannot and do not want to burden them. They are the best thing in my world, and do make it better. They are responsible for what joy I do have.
I watch my kids closely, mental issues I'll deal with at the root and start if they exhibit themselves. My wife knows about my struggles, just, not how present they are, so it's not a complete secret. But it's the one thing I won't tell them.
Momma Jess 2 months ago
Oh honey. *Hugs* I understand, this is why I didn't have biological children
#20
That I have a lot of tattoos, as in my spine, back, sternum, both hips, both sides, and my leg. She has no idea and it's been 5 years.
Winter Eleven 2 months ago
I didn't tell my mom when i went to get a tattoo of my cat in my arm. Well didn't tell my dad either and mom was shocked (didn't care it's a tattoo, my cousin has sleeves and we're both eldest kids on mom's side so i guess eldest get tattoos) but my dad didn't believe it was real 😂 a week after he was still asking if it washed off yet.
#21
This is going to sound REALLY stupid, but i have always been hiding the fact that i do want a relationship/family one day. It started out with being young and finding that kind of stuff awkward so i never showed any interest in boys. But now i'm in my early 20s, i still keep quiet about it because i dont want my mother to think that im sad about missing out on relationships, because that would make HER sad. I have always suffered from very severe social anxiety, and depression for years, so i dont see myself ever having a relationship. I'd rather have her believe i'm immature/asexual than for her to think i feel lonely and sad. It's the weirdest secret ever, i know. Then again, expressing my desire to become a crazy cat lady instead of having a family isnt THAT much of a lie...i just leave out the part that i wanna be a crazy cat lady WITH a family.
Lyoness 2 months ago
I don't think protecting the people we love is weird. I do hope you can push yourself a little outside your comfort zone. Meeting new people is terrifying but places you're already interested in (libraries, gaming stores, coffee shops, whatever) are a great way to find people you already have something in common with.
#22
That I don't plan to make it to my 30th birthday at this rate. I love them but I don't love life.
R.A. Haley 2 months ago
Hey, the only thing that kept me going all these years are the things I'd miss if I was gone. Chocolate chip cookies, clean sheets, birds on the fence, tv, etc. Think up some of your own things and make a list. Keep it with you and refer to it often.
#23
I am no longer a virgin.
Not that my mom cares, but the way I lost my virginity was really bad and I know I'll disappoint her if she knew even if I feel upset about it.
Also, all the names of my social media accounts. No way in *hell* my fam gets those.
Julia Mckinney 2 months ago (edited)
It depends on the family. I know several of my 2 daughter's social media accounts and see their stuff when they link me to it. Sometimes I ask about the stuff they've posted, sometimes they ask about my stuff. My kids know they can tell their dad and I anything ( hope they remember that) and we wouldn't turn our back on them (as long as they don't turn into mango-mussolini worshiping people and actively support hurting others just to keep power, and yes, we've talked about this, both seriously and as a joke).
#24
I've hidden from my dad that I was a smoker. I have quit, but I still can't bear to tell him that I used to smoke.
R.A. Haley 2 months ago
Unless he smokes too, he can tell. Smokers reek of tobacco, even the vapers smell funny.
#25
I'm not sure why, but I always hide the anime tab when they enter my room. Also self harm.
Dread Pirate Roberts 2 months ago
Whoa, they say 'also self harm' like it's an afterthought O_o
#26
I dropped out of college. It was never-ending, and I was exhausted. They forced me into Graphic Design, and while I don't mind it, I'd prefer to never do it professionally- I'm more of a freelancer.
They wanted their only kid to go to college and graduate, and I couldn't even give them that.
What do you think ?
Related on Bored Panda
