What is your deepest family secret?

[Anonymous]

I posted my family's biggest secret on here several months ago. I found out my grandfather is my dad. He raped my mother and aunt all throughout their childhoods.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother was a "dancer" in Nevada and got pregnant at 15, and had my mother and her identical twin. She left them with her mother and then apparently had an affair with a prominent politician, resulting in another baby. 11 months later she had ANOTHER baby and married the father (and then had two more kids). She stayed married to that man until she died.

The family knows that the twins have a different dad (apparently he was a businessman from South America...) but no one ever talks aobut the fact that the third child was from a different dad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother was a "dancer" in Nevada and got pregnant at 15, and had my mother and her identical twin. She left them with her mother and then apparently had an affair with a prominent politician, resulting in another baby. 11 months later she had ANOTHER baby and married the father (and then had two more kids). She stayed married to that man until she died.

The family knows that the twins have a different dad (apparently he was a businessman from South America...) but no one ever talks aobut the fact that the third child was from a different dad.

fertile myrtle!! i wish i had 1/2 of her fertile genes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was raped in college by a stranger who had been stalking me. My mother calls it my "accident" - I can't describe how much this has pissed me off. I don't think she was able to deal with the emotional burden, but thankfully, I have. It really sucked though - it was all over the news at the time, in the papers - enough said.

Oh man...*big internet hug to you*...

The revelations here are beyond belief, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both of my parents spent time in mental institutions. They lied about it to us as children and still don't want anyone to know. It doesn't really bother me or my siblings, but it is clearly their secret, so we don't share it.

A follow up on this. My parents aren't truthful about why they were committed. I'm not sure my siblings necessarily realize, but it wasn't just depression. The facts don't add up.

In the '60s and '70s, if you had money, spending time in a mental institution could be like going to a spa or simply dropping out for a while. This was before managed care and a lot of people went to mental institutions almost as a rite of passage. I'm not saying your parents weren't seriously ill, but many normal people and creative people spent time in mental institutions for things that might be described as a case of artistic temperament or growing pains.

[Anonymous]

I was born into a cult. Parents got out when I was 10 years old.

[Anonymous]

My brother was physically and mentally disabled and died at an institution later exposed for horrible conditions and neglect. All these decades later, my mother hasn't ever come to terms with having had a "defective" child. She never speaks of him, no pictures, and doesn't even know where he is buried. I was 5 when he died and barely knew him, but it still breaks my heart.

[Anonymous]

My mom has had relationships with both men and women (not at the same time). She never talks about it. Made things quite difficult when I was at school and one friend asked me directly if my mom was a lesbian. I didn't even know myself. Still don't ... but I guess she's bi. I was brought up by her girlfriend for half my life. Bizarre how you can live in these situations and not even know what's going on yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother was a "dancer" in Nevada and got pregnant at 15, and had my mother and her identical twin. She left them with her mother and then apparently had an affair with a prominent politician, resulting in another baby. 11 months later she had ANOTHER baby and married the father (and then had two more kids). She stayed married to that man until she died.

The family knows that the twins have a different dad (apparently he was a businessman from South America...) but no one ever talks aobut the fact that the third child was from a different dad.

fertile myrtle!! i wish i had 1/2 of her fertile genes.

Well, she was a teenager. You too may have been that fertile at 16, 17, 18....

[Anonymous]

During my first marriage I had a serious affair with someone I really cared about. When that was over I had a stupid one-night stand. I got pregnant and then had an abortion. My husband was only home a few days a month due to his travel so he never found out. Thank god I got divorced and now am happily married and hardly recognize the person I had become.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That my grandfather was 1/4 black and passed for white. I had to pry it out of my mother...

wow. this is amazing...do you appear AA? Ahhh, sorry, that didn't come out the way I meant it. I just find this fascinating as to how people come to look the way they do...

The PP is 1/16 black. It's very doubtful that s/he looks black.

Personal experience from someone 1/16 black-I have the lips and the muscular build of a black person. I love it. No Botox, and I was a college athlete. Otherwise I am a nice olive color, super dark ash brown hair, bright green eyes.

Personal experience from someone who is more than 1/16 black- your lips most likely came from another (more recent) ancestor, not passed down from your great-great grandparent.

I guess my kids should attribute their almond-shaped eyes to their Chinese great-great grandfather?

[Anonymous]

All of my grandmother's siblings were sterilized as part of the eugenics movement in this country. She was the oldest and already married and out of the hosue when it happened. Her parents actually acquiesed in having this done. 6 children sterilized, all under the age of 16.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of my grandmother's siblings were sterilized as part of the eugenics movement in this country. She was the oldest and already married and out of the hosue when it happened. Her parents actually acquiesed in having this done. 6 children sterilized, all under the age of 16.

Were all six of them developmentally disabled?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted my family's biggest secret on here several months ago. I found out my grandfather is my dad. He raped my mother and aunt all throughout their childhoods.

No words but just tremendous sadness for you and your family. Many, many hugs to you, PP. I wish you peace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of my grandmother's siblings were sterilized as part of the eugenics movement in this country. She was the oldest and already married and out of the hosue when it happened. Her parents actually acquiesed in having this done. 6 children sterilized, all under the age of 16.

Were all six of them developmentally disabled?

Nope, not one of them. In fact, they all grew up to be really successful business people, and all of them ended up adopting children. I think it's just that they were poor growing up.