We Thought Our Families Were Messed Up—Until We Read These Stories
Every family is special in their own way—but it's not always a good way.
All of us get annoyed by family members now and then, but we can thank our lucky stars they aren’t this bad—and if they are, at least you can commiserate with these unfortunate Redditors.
1. The Mother Of All Pettiness
I had my graduation from engineering on the same day as my mother's birthday. I, of course, had nothing to do with choosing the date. But you couldn’t convince my mom of that. My mother said I "ruined her birthday"—and then she got a cruel revenge. She scheduled her birthday party to be on my actual birthday. Her birthday is in March, mine is in August.
2. The Great Deceiver
When I was six years old, my aunt, who was my guardian, faked my grandmother’s passing. She lied to all of us—local churches, her friends, and strangers—for sympathy and money. She wrote to multiple people asking for support.
She needed money for a headstone and the funeral, etc. People bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
So you can imagine our surprise a year later when we received a letter from our grandma saying she was coming to see us.
3. Too Much Of A Busy Body
I did an ancestry test and found out that my paternal grandfather was not my real grandfather. I also found out that my father was the product of an affair or something along those lines.
After some searching, I came across the other family that I am related to. I learned that my last name isn't really accurate and that I come from an ethnic group that I never thought I was a part of.
I think my father's sister knew, just looking back on all of the facts. But I also think that my father genuinely never did.
I found cousins on that side, but sadly, due to my age in my 50s, most of my relatives have already passed, so I couldn’t share the experience with them. My real grandfather passed in 1969.
This explains why I never met any great uncles or aunts on my father's side of the family.
They basically had nothing to do with us. I found evidence in some newspaper articles that my biological and adoptive families were both from the same town. I am not in contact with what remains of my adoptive family today, so no one found out.
What is weird is that I always kind of felt like I was adopted, for years and years. I also always thought that my last name was "wrong" for me. As the test proved, my real grandfather was a very busy man. I had relatives all over the place!
One grew up in foster care and knew nothing of her real parents. He would have been her real father.
4. The Safe Room
One of my good friends in elementary school—first through fifth grade—had a deadbolt on the inside of her bedroom door. She also had a phone in her closet that she wasn't allowed to use.
It was a second line and had a different phone number than the main house phone. Meanwhile, the Bible on her bookshelf was full of money.
There were $20 and $50 bills tucked between the pages. I didn't realize what this all meant until I was much, much older. Her father was very abusive towards her mother. Not the kids, though. Just the mom. My friend's room was the "safe" room. Mom would lock herself and the kids in there when he got in one of his moods. The phone was to call for help. The money was in case they needed to run.
