Whether you are fortunate or not, you cannot pick your family. You’re born into a unique community of people, each with their peculiarities, strengths, and shortcomings. The trip with them is like a meandering road, full of joyful moments and unexpected challenges, making family life a source of great connection as well as occasional irritation.

Story 1

My best buddy got married, and the bride’s family offered to pay for the wedding if the cost was reasonable. So they kept everything within reason. Instead of paying for the wedding, the bride’s relatives used the money on a trip without informing them. They had to postpone their wedding because nothing had been paid for.

So my friend and his wife ended up paying for the wedding themselves. When the big day arrived, the bride’s family gave $150 and an I.O.U in a card that read, “we owe you a better gift.” The family owns a boat, and a Jag, and had another vacation that year.

Story 2

I have a very dedicated mother. She’d do everything for her children. My sister called her one day, stating she had health problems and needed $5,000 for the surgery she would require. She tells my mom everything: who the doctor is and what they plan to do.

My mother, in tears, rushes to get a loan and immediately goes to pay for it, when she discovers, as you might expect, that my sister lied about everything. When my mother phones to inquire what’s going on, my sister yells at her for coming to the doctor’s office first and not just handing her the money, then hangs up.

Story 3

My father asked my mother for a divorce on my birthday. He took away everything from their home and began dating a 20-year-old. I took out a $6000 loan to refurnish the house I started renting with my mother, who passed away two months after moving in.

In her final email, she asked my father to give me life insurance so that I could repay the loan. He made off with it. He purchased a pickup and a stereo. He left me broke, with a debt I couldn’t pay and a younger sibling to care for.

Story 4

After graduating from high school, my father began working abroad. He didn’t spend any money, but instead sent it all back to his mother to keep for him or use in case of emergency. She utilized the money to pay expenses before selling their farm and profiting handsomely.

Let’s fast forward a few years. My father married my mother. They had my younger brother, who was born with respiratory problems. My father requested that his mother provide him money to pay for his exorbitant medical bills. She told him no, saying he shouldn’t have had a child if he couldn’t afford it.

Story 5

My son passed away while he was only a child. I had him cremated and stored the ashes in a vase in my room. Years later, following my divorce from my wife, I returned home from work one day to discover that the ashes had mysteriously vanished.

The most tragic aspect is that, twenty years later, I still have no idea where they went. My sole assumption is that my ex-wife discarded them. It was my son from another marriage, not hers.

Story 6

My friend was obliged to pay rent to his parents by the age of 14. He didn’t see a movie until he was 15, and he always wore used clothes. He grew up poor, or so he thought, and supported himself through college. Then, years later, he found his parents were wealthy.

Story 7

My grandmother was old and unable to live alone, so she chose to sell her home. This was on top of the remainder of my grandfather’s pension, so she had around $50,000. She requested my father to handle all of the bank stuff.

My father called her one day and asked if she was well enough to go to the bank, but his sister’s (my aunt’s) boyfriend answered and said everything was OK before hanging up. They had duped my grandmother into depositing all of that money into their account, which they had no intention of letting her access.

Fortunately, Dad was able to explain to Nan what my aunt did and the bank, having known and respected my grandfather, reversed the transfer.

Story 8

It was Christmas, and my boyfriend received gifts from both his father and his father’s girlfriend. His sister received even more as a result of her excessive indulgence. The next day, his father returned all of his gifts to the store in order to purchase additional items for his sister.

Story 9

I wanted a car when I was 17, so I made arrangements with my father to purchase his 1982 Omega. I worked hard at my menial cashier job, which paid $4.25 per hour, and sent him $100 each month for 5 months until I paid it off. I felt so proud!

All he had to do was hand me the title and let me register it, but he said, “No, you can’t have my car.” A month later, he sold it to someone else for $500. I had no automobile and was out $500. He never did return my money.

Story 10

My husband and I have a rule: we don’t check our phones during supper. Last night, halfway through the meal, his phone lit up. He took a quick glimpse at it before continuing his meal. Five minutes later, it buzzed repeatedly. This time, he grabbed it and exclaimed, “OH NO! MOM!”

He immediately contacted the police, gave them his mother’s address, and ran out. An hour later, he contacted me, sighed heavily, and explained that my mother-in-law had informed him over the phone that there had been a burglary. Panicked, he dialed 911 and dashed to her home. Someone stole her potatoes from the garden in the morning, but she pretended it was a crime over the phone.

By the time my mother-in-law clarified what had happened to my husband, two officers had arrived at her home. My husband attempted to describe the scenario to them. To say he was mortified would be an understatement.

Every family has stories and secrets that are kept concealed for years, but finally, the truth is revealed. When it happens, the revelations can be unexpected or upsetting. This page contains short stories about people who were rocked by discovering their family’s terrible background.