I don’t know if I’ll ever tell them."
Note: This post contains mentions of sexual abuse, eating disorders, and grooming.
Here are some of the secrets that prove family doesn’t need to know everything:
1.
“I was a ‘sugar baby.’
I got paid money, clothing, handbags, and more in exchange for having relationships with older men.
Not a soul knows this about me.”
“I was in a cult.
Not a Jonestown-level cult, but a small, high-control group that had a lot of cultlike aspects.
My friends know about it, but I don’t know how to tell my parents.
Anonymous
3.
I don’t know if I’ll ever tell them.”
“I’m a lesbian.
My family is very religious and would probably disown me if they found out.”
“My husband and I are poly.
We spend parts of holidays and birthdays with each other.
On top of that, my boyfriend and I are in a dom and sub dynamic.
I have no plans to tell them, though.”
jewelstwentyone2014
7.
“My very anti-abortion family thinks that my first pregnancy was a miscarriage.
My family will never know the truth.”
“My stepmom made my wedding dress, and I hated it.
She’d made dresses for other people before, and they all looked great, so I trusted her.
I sorely regret not getting a new one anyway.
The worst part is that I can’t stand to even look at our wedding photos.
We chatted nightly and progressed from messages to calls and texts.
Eventually, once I was able to drive, we would meet up in person.
Our interactions ranged from friendly to flirtatious, and I often shaped my behavior to kindly him.
We kept our conversations a secret, and I hesitated to confide in my parents or friends.
The blow came when he started dating someone else yet continued manipulating me.
After they broke up, he pursued me, claiming he’d always wanted to be with me.
I regret not confiding in my parents.
“I had a yearlong affair with my former boss, who is also married.
I regret it every single day.
I will never forgive myself for what I did; nor will I ever tell my husband.
“My grandma has bullied me about my weight and size for years almost my whole life.
I’ve talked to her about it, but nothing will change her ways.
Because of that, I began to hate her and tried avoiding her as much as possible.
But because I’m still a college student with medical problems, I can’t live alone.
I don’t want to tell her I hate her because I know it would hurt her feelings.
I’m the only granddaughter she sees.”
bbangbbangz
12.“I’mbisexual.
I haven’t told my family because I know they’d absolutely freak out.
From what I remember, she walked into the room and told my cousin off.
“I’m doing much better and have accepted that I will probably never know what really happened.
They would blame themselves, and that is a guilt that’s not theirs to carry.
The fault lies solely with my cousin and, by extension, my aunt.
I won’t have my parents suffer for their actions.”
“I grew up in an extremely Catholic family.
“I’m genderfluid.
Anonymous, 25, Illinois
16.
Because of them, I quietly dropped out.
I’m 50-50 on whether or not I regret doing what I did.
My family will never know, though.”
“I found out after my father died that he was a sex addict and a pedophile.
Nobody in his family knows any of this, and it’s going to stay that way.”
18.Lastly: “My youngest son is not my husband’s child.
We had separated for a brief period, and I had a relationship with a coworker before we reconciled.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
