It’s so easy for us to hold our parents, grandparents, and distant relatives on pedestals, since they’ve essentially raised us throughout the years. Sure, they’re imperfect, but we often can’t help but admire them for all the good they’ve done.
But sometimes, it isn’t until after their death that we learn the ugly truth that’s been bubbling under the surface the whole time. On Reddit, user KrattBoy2006 asked, “What is the worst thing you found out about a family member after they died?” People jumped in to reveal the absolute worst things they’ve discovered about their family members that they’d managed to keep secret till death do us part.
The Abandoned Family
“After she died last year, I found out that my mother had married a guy, had five children, and one day when my dad, a door-to-door salesman, came to the door, she literally just walked away from her life and ran off with my dad.” -Former_Balance8473
That’s got to be one of the craziest meet-cutes I’ve ever heard.
The Diary Entry
“I found in my mom’s journal that she didn’t even want me and couldn’t stand to be around me. That really messed me up.” -phoenixrising0711
That’s a pretty painful one to bounce back from.
Gangster Auntie
“My sweet auntie was an active gang member when she was younger and had done time in her 20s for a bank robbery.” -spareribs78
I guess she wasn’t so sweet after all!
Scamming Granny
“[My grandma had] fallen victim to a financial scam and never told any of us about it. When my grandmother died and we were going through her things, we found a series of letters from a man claiming to be a long-lost cousin of some sort, asking for money, and another series of letters between her and her bank, desperately trying to get her money back once they’d flagged that she might have been a victim of fraud. From what we could tell, she got at least some of the money back (she’d given him [more than] $20,000).” -rocketscientology
Poor grandma! You’ve got to be careful who you’re sending money to!
Secret Sisters
“The week after my dad died, I found out he had two sisters. I never met them. They apparently hated me and my mother from the moment I was born. So much so that they emptied his house before they notified us of my dad’s passing.” –SESHPERANKH
I guess Cinderella isn’t the only one with evil sisters!
Brother of the Same Name
“My dad found out he had a brother at his dad’s funeral. This brother had the exact same name. Turns out grandpa had a secret family and was so lazy that he reused names.” -AcidEmpire
Well, if the name fits, use it again and again!
Shutterfly Exposé
“After my mom died, Shutterfly was shutting down. I logged into the service to get all my family pics before they were gone forever. Shutterfly kindly ordered them in order of date taken according to the EXIF data, not the date I uploaded them. Photos of her boyfriend appeared long before she had separated from her husband.” –beyondavatars
Who thought Shutterfly would be at the scene of the crime?
Cheating Grandpa
“Found out my grandpa cheated on my grandma with his brother’s wife, and his nephew may actually be [his] son.”-distracted_insomniac
There are some things you just shouldn’t share with your siblings, and spouses are one of them!
The Business Trip Excuse
“After my grandma died, we found out my grandfather had over a dozen children in Japan during WW2. [Three] of them belonged to a woman he fell in love with, and all of his “business trips” over the years [were] him going to spend time with that family.” -Muchspace6649
Talk about living a double life!
The Toxic Truth
“I found out that my dad did not die naturally, but was poisoned by his ex.” -Cinnamon_Chiyo
Do we need to open a case on this one?
Not-So-Innocent Grandpa
“Found my grandfather’s journals. He was always this quiet, gentle man to us. The journals detailed a life of infidelity and cruelty to my grandmother that was just breathtakingly awful. It was like reading about a complete stranger wearing his face.” -striking_air_7761
That’s a really tough one to come to terms with.
It’s always distressing to realize that the people closest to us are capable of horrible actions. If you’ve ever learned something about a family member that altered your perspective, let us know below.
Check out KrattBoy2006’s Reddit post here.
