40+ Screenshots That Show Relationships Are Not Always as Great as They Might Seem

Screenshots That Show Relationships Are Not Always as Great as They Might Seem

If there’s one experience all human beings share yet we all wish that we didn’t, it’s exhausting relationships. Sometimes, our partner says mean things — other times, they’re too attached. Then, there are the times when they’re just plain toxic. We’ve all been there, and we can prove it with this compiled list of screenshots found online that show that relationships may not always be as great as they seem.

Willing to Free Yourself

As separations become more and more common, it’s also common to find single people with children from previous relationships. Lots of people like to call them “bonus children.” Some people don’t see them that way, though.

Willing to Free Yourself

In fact, some people dislike them so much that they actually have the nerve to ask someone they don’t even know to get rid of them. Who knew children were as easily disposed of as that pack of moldy cheese in the back of the fridge?

Demeaning Partner Conversations

At some point in our lives, most of us have had a friend or partner who made us feel like a bag of number two. They constantly show off how smart and important they are, and how much they think you aren’t.

Demeaning Partner Conversations

We’ve got to agree with Ella here. This kind of dynamic is not healthy and no one needs that type of energy in their lives. If you’ve got a partner like them, show them the door.

From Friend Zoning to Suing

The term “friend-zoned” is pretty problematic. It’s often used by people who are determined to pursue a romantic relationship with a partner who just doesn’t feel that way, and used as if the partner is the one in the wrong.

From Friend Zoning to Suing

If someone doesn’t like you like that, then they don’t like you like that. It’s that simple. If this guy needed therapy over one person rejecting him, one has to wonder if he strayed into straight-up stalker territory.

That Ashley Energy

Have you ever had one too many adult beverages on a night out and sent some texts you later regretted, or called up an ex? Have you ever done it multiple times in a row? We bet Ashley here can top you.

That Ashley Energy

Sorry, but there are seriously people out there who want someone to call them over 300 times in the wee hours of the morning? “Ashley energy” is more like obsessive energy, and that ain’t healthy.

Give Your Tummy the Phone

Some couples really take the cheesy side of rom-com movies to heart. They call each other nicknames like ‘cupcake’ and ‘sweetie pie,’ they send long love letters about the other person’s adorable ears, and they do stuff like this.

Give Your Tummy the Phone

The intention behind this is sweet, but the execution is so cringy that we actually physically cringed. Let’s hope this is a conversation between 13-year-old partners and not actual adults. Maintaining this level of cheesiness must be exhausting.

No Women, Periodt

It’s perfectly natural to have preferences when it comes to a romantic partner. We want someone we find physically attractive, and also someone who we can connect with. But, there’s a difference between preferences and being picky.

No Women, Periodt

So, what this ‘About’ section tells us is that this man just hates everyone and everything. What makes it hilarious is that he doesn’t even know the difference between woman and women. Good luck finding your extra-special partner, dude.

The Moment She Realized

No one enjoys fighting with their partner. It’s exhausting, and things are often said that shouldn’t have been. It’s usually a good idea to take some space to cool off after a fight, like this girl going to the store.

The Moment She Realized

This sounds like a moment straight up out of a horror film. Who in their right mind hides under the bed to try and catch their partner? We’ll tell you who — no one. This guy was clearly not in his right mind.

Catfished by Your Own Partner

Some people are so worried about their partner cheating on them that they seem to look for or create situations where it could happen. Many use the internet to their advantage to do exactly that — like this girl did.

Catfished by Your Own Partner

Well, that’s not the ending that we expected. He’s in the wrong for talking to other women, but she’s also in the wrong for going out of her way to try and “catch” him. Talk about a weird relationship dynamic!

Tired of Dating Broke Men

Dating as a parent can be hard, especially if you’re a single parent. You have to pay to hire a babysitter each time you go out, which adds up, but you have to decide if you’re willing to make that sacrifice.

Tired of Dating Broke Men

It doesn’t seem like she’s looking for a partner. Instead, it sounds like she’s looking for free food and free childcare. Why should someone who has never even met her children pay for someone to take care of them?

First Tat, Let’s Go

If there’s one thing that 99% of the population knows you should never, ever do, it’s get someone’s name tattooed on you. As much as we like to think relationships are permanent, they often aren’t, yet tattoos definitely are.

First Tat, Let’s Go

Even worse is getting someone’s name tattooed on your face! What in the world was this person thinking? Nicole must be pretty dang amazing for him to want the whole world to see her name.

That Girl Is Trash

In relationships, we all have to accept that there will be things our partners like that we don’t. That doesn’t mean we’re entitled to control what they can and can’t do just because we don’t like it.

That Girl Is Trash

This partner straight-up stole his property, and not only did she do that, but she intentionally destroyed something that made her partner happy. You have to be an extremely selfish person to do something like that.

An Awkward Exchange

When partners break up, there’s often this awkward phase of returning each other’s belongings and eventually apologizing or refusing to admit to mistakes. This ex-boyfriend chose an apology, but not to the right person.

An Awkward Exchange

This is so confusing. Why would he apologize to an animal? And why did he feel the need to do 30 push-ups? We have a feeling this is a guy who would identify himself as an “alpha male.”

Didn’t Want to Go Anyway

When you’ve been in a relationship for awhile, running potential plans by your partner is the respectful thing to do. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons together and keep each other in the loop.

Didn’t Want to Go Anyway

It’s not healthy for your partner to straight-up tell you that you can’t do something, though. Unless they were super broke and that’s why, she way overstepped. He needs to grow a pair and stand up to her!

A Good Loyal Woman

There’s never an excuse for cheating — and it’s never, ever the fault of the person who was cheated on. Unfortunately, though, there are some people out there who attempt to convince women that everything is their fault for not being good enough.

A Good Loyal Woman

Our response to this is a big fat bolded, italicized, underlined “NO!” This could not be farther from the truth. Weak partners need to stop blaming women for them not staying monogamous. That girl needs to run away from him as fast as she can.

Sleeping Outside of Work

Separation anxiety is defined as “recurrent or excessive distress about anticipating or being away from home or from loved ones.” You mostly hear about it in pets, but it happens to some humans as well.

Sleeping Outside of Work

This isn’t separation anxiety, this is straight-up stalking. This is so not okay, and she really needs to get some help, because she can’t be doing things like this with her partners. It’s genuinely concerning.

“If We Got a Chance” Lists

A lot of people have a list. You know, that list — the one of celebrities you would have a very fun-filled night with if you could. At least, that’s how most people make those lists.

“If We Got a Chance” Lists

We sure hope that this is a joke, because anyone who makes lists like that knows darn well it’s supposed to be people that you would never actually meet — not people in your day-to-day life, especially if one of them is your boyfriend’s sibling!

Tricked Into Dating and Marriage

Everyone wants to have that meet-cute story about finding their spouse in a coffee shop, or a bookstore, or bumping into them while walking down a busy street. But, what if it were all a lie?

Tricked Into Dating and Marriage

This poor woman was going through some scary stuff. It must be devastating to find out that someone you love and care about could do something like this and manipulate your feelings. We hope she got the help she needed.

Unintelligent Twitter Humor

Some people get irrationally angry over weird things. It may be smacking food, or the way someone arranges the dishwasher. In this case, it was a partner’s style of humor on Twitter. He had a meltdown over a tweet?

Unintelligent Twitter Humor

How old was this boyfriend, two years old? Toddlers have meltdowns, not grown men. Thank goodness she said “used to date,” because this guy’s off his rocker. He’s probably just jealous that his tweets never get that many likes.

You’re My Bully

Despite what many seem to think, bullying isn’t limited to schools. Parents can be bullies, as can bosses, teachers, and even our own partners. It’s a serious issue no matter your age.

You’re My Bully

This doesn’t sound like love. This sounds like a bully who found a doormat. Sure, he seems happy now, but bullying is never okay — especially not in a marriage. He’ll get sick of it eventually and they’ll head straight to a divorce.

A Custom-Made Spotify Playlist

In the olden days, partners would make their SO a mixed tape. Then, it shifted to burning CDs for them. Now, it’s making them their own playlist on Spotify. No matter the decade, love has been expressed through music.

A Custom-Made Spotify Playlist

It’s cute that she still thinks that he actually made the playlist for her in the first place. She probably wasn’t the first girl he convinced and she definitely won’t be the last. But hey, if it works…

Emotionally Unavailable Parents

Being emotionally unavailable refers to a person’s inability or unwillingness to share their emotions with others. This can manifest as a lack of empathy, difficulty forming close relationships, and a tendency to withdraw from emotional situations.

Emotionally Unavailable Parents

It’s hard enough to deal with it, but to be a parent with these issues leaves an everlasting impact on your kids, as this person shows. Hopefully, they’ve since grown to accept receiving love from others.

So Ready to Go Home

Picture this — you’re on a girls trip far, far away from home — when suddenly your partner calls you because they can’t handle their own children. It sounds ridiculous, right? Well, apparently it’s not.

So Ready to Go Home

Isn’t marriage a partnership? Odds are she’s spent plenty of time alone taking care of all three children, yet he’s making her take a 12-hour flight home because he can’t manage it? Sounds like a pretty weak partnership.

Hope Your Life Goes Well

When you’re dating someone for a long time, you often become like another member of their family. So when you break up with that person, you’re breaking up with their family as well.

Hope Your Life Goes Well

Like the bitter ex, there are also bitter ex-families, and that’s what this poor person experienced. Imagine someone’s mom being so obsessed with you that they feel the need to send them this message insulting them with the sarcastic “hope your life goes well” at the end.

The Worst Text Ever

Some people really struggle with flirting. Maybe they don’t know the right thing to say, or maybe they’re really shy or very socially awkward. Whatever it is, don’t ever show up in someone’s DMs with a message like this.

The Worst Text Ever

Has this line ever actually worked out for him, or is everyone’s response similar to this person’s? This is like people who threaten to do bad things if their partner leaves them, but he exposed that side of him early on enough for this gal to see flaming red flags.

Today’s Most Predictable News

You know that expression “dodged a bullet?” There are a lot of former relationships that it applies to — relationships where one partner had some serious issues and the other is lucky to have gotten away before it was too late.

Today’s Most Predictable News

Imagine feeling like it’s perfectly acceptable to go to these lengths to manipulate an ex into contacting you. What did she expect to happen, that he’d find out it wasn’t real but want to get back together with her anyway?

Worth More Than That

There are way too many people in the world who hold onto people that they don’t really like because they want to have a backup plan. This involves stringing said person along even though they don’t really want to be with them.

Worth More Than That

It’s so messed up to just casually rub into someone’s face that you aren’t that interested in them and are actively going on other dates. Thank goodness the other person stood up for themselves and put their foot down.

From Awe to Disgust

Pregnancy is hard on a woman’s body, and the process of giving birth isn’t a pretty one. The body is under a lot of stress, and women can’t really control what happens.

From Awe to Disgust

This woman carried two babies inside of her for nine months, gave birth to them, and has now been completely abandoned by her partner over something so ridiculous that it would make anyone’s chin drop with shock. She deserves someone who doesn’t act like a baby themselves.

Don’t Speak Tide Pod

If you’re a smart, educated person, you don’t need to pretend to be so and make others feel bad about themselves. Only insecure people trying to give off a certain image do that, like this person.

Don’t Speak Tide Pod

What does “speak Tide Pod” even mean? And does this person think that ‘lol’ is an actual word and not an abbreviation in and of itself? Get out of here with that nonsense, man. Being rude doesn’t mean you’re well-educated.

Wasting His Power Words

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than the people we care about telling us how wonderful we are. We all need that support to get through tough days, but some people become too dependent on it.

Wasting His Power Words

It’s natural for children to need lots of reassurance from the adults in their lives. It’s not natural for a man to be so obsessed with reassurance that he faults his girlfriend for supporting people who aren’t him.

Doesn’t Mean Anything She Says

Proper communication is often one of the biggest hurdles in a relationship. Partners have different communication styles, and some people — for some reason or another — don’t know how to or refuse to communicate at all.

Doesn’t Mean Anything She Says

If you don’t mean anything you say, then what’s the point of saying it? Unless your boyfriend has the superpower of reading minds, it’s irrational to expect him to know how you’re feeling if you won’t communicate properly.

Very Helpful Information

When one partner in a relationship is making significantly more money than the other, it’s normal for them to take on a bigger share of the expenses. But, it’s not okay for the other partner to mooch off of them.

Very Helpful Information

This guy is such a jerk! He had absolutely no sympathy for her situation, but rather hinted about her buying him an expensive car he definitely doesn’t need, unlike her life-saving insulin.

The End of a Streak

Social media apps are clever. They add more and more features to make you feel the need to use them more often. One of those is Snapchat streaks, where you get a special streak the more often you snap with someone.

The End of a Streak

Honestly, this is pretty pathetic. Sure, it’s natural to feel disappointed when you’ve worked at something like this, but crying over it for days points to some deeper issues going on. Social media isn’t the whole world.

No More Lazy Answers

Dating apps are frustrating. There are many people saying they’re looking for a serious partner, but really they just want a one-night stand. Others say creepy things and make people uncomfortable.

No More Lazy Answers

Then, there are those with lazy answers like Mike here. If only he had known that he had to write a novel about a specific meal for her to be happy with him, he would have probably tried a bit harder. It probably wasn’t worth it, though.

Just Leave it at This

Sometimes, we reach a point where we just can’t continue a relationship. It’s best to let the partner know and move on, knowing you did the best that you could.

Just Leave it at This

Well, so much for all of those empty threats before! This person seems to be willing to drop everything to cook chicken for the person they supposedly don’t want to hear from. Must be some good fried chicken.

Just Don’t Wear Makeup

There are a lot of different reasons that women wear makeup, but it’s not often that one of them is to impress potential romantic partners. More likely, it’s simply because they like how they look with it on.

Just Don’t Wear Makeup

It’s sad that this woman’s friend seems to think she would only wear makeup to look good for the friend’s boyfriend, or she’s just so insecure about her own looks that she’s projecting her issues onto other women.

He’ll Treat You Better

There’s nothing worse than seeing someone who’s already in a relationship pining over another person. It makes you wonder why they don’t just break up with their current partner as it’s so disrespectful.

He’ll Treat You Better

This person responded as politely as they possibly could, and he really had the nerve to not only say “don’t bring her up” but to say he’d treat them better? That’s not exactly a great way to convince someone you like that you’re trustworthy.

Cute Boy From Bar

Some men just can’t handle the idea that there are women out there who aren’t interested in them and don’t want to pursue something with them. They get weirdly passive-aggressive, like Mason here did.

Cute Boy From Bar

This guy is making a lot of assumptions, one of them being that the person liked him. But, to then send the exact same message is just weird and pushy. It sounds like his person made the right choice in not dancing with him!

Creeping Through His Friends List

A common behavior on social media that’s really toxic is creeping through someone’s friends’ list, or worse, stalking who is liking their photos. It’s an invasion of their privacy and an easy way to brew mistrust in a relationship.

Creeping Through His Friends List

Why wouldn’t this person be on her husband’s friends list, and why is she going through her husband’s friends list messaging random people? All signs point to a nosy, controlling partner.

Knew What He Signed Up For

Anyone who has watched Friends or Firefly Lane knows what codependent friendships look like. The characters in both shows rely on each other way too much and have little to no boundaries — not even healthy ones.

Knew What He Signed Up For

This sounds like a genuine concern from her husband, not insecurity, and she left out a lot of information — like how she reacted to Anna’s confession and whether their dates are actual real dates. Everything about this is fishy.

Not Accountable to Some Guy

Life gets busy and people take a while to text back or don’t text back at all. It’s a natural occurrence, and it’s also natural for those we are talking to to check in to see if we’re okay.

Not Accountable to Some Guy

If he had been blowing up her phone, then sure, he was being pushy — but he sent one message trying to be polite. It sure seems like she overreacted to someone simply trying to check in with a person they were interested in.

You Don’t Exist

Our birth certificates are one of those documents that we all know is important, but none of us can remember exactly which random paperwork box it’s filed away in since we hardly ever actually need it.

You Don’t Exist

This girl did her boyfriend a favor, really. Now, he’ll never have to wonder where his birth certificate is hidden away. Not only that, he doesn’t even have to think about anything, since, well, he doesn’t exist.

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Something that has become somewhat trendy lately (but with very good reason) is learning how to set boundaries. Whether it’s with a romantic partner, a friend, or a family member, we all need to learn how to say no.

Setting Healthy Boundaries

We doubt he’s the only one wondering why they’re like this. There’s a difference between knowing how to forgive others and letting others walk all over you. It’s tough to know which way you’re leaning.

Romanticizing Every Interaction

When we’re in the early stages of falling for someone, many of us not only fail to recognize red flags that come up, but we also create “signs” where there aren’t actually any.

Romanticizing Every Interaction

It’s so important to know how to read other people, their body language, and their emotions. So many people could avoid heartbreak if they could just break out of the fantasy bubble in their heads and actually pay attention to how the other person is behaving.

Birds in the Bushes

We’ve all heard of people who “love the chase” when it comes to finding a romantic partner. They’re the ones who want mind games and who thrive on trying to gain someone’s attention, just to shrug it off once they have it.

Birds in the Bushes

It’s pretty scary that this has over 970,000 likes. We have so many questions. Where did she get so many dead birds? Why did he not wonder why birds kept slamming into his window? How do people get like this?

He’ll Never Forgive Her

Somehow, we as a society have managed to convince ourselves that women don’t do perfectly natural things — like grow armpit and leg hair, fart, or do number twos. It feeds this weird obsession over what is and isn’t “ladylike.”

He’ll Never Forgive Her

Someone let this woman know that she isn’t married to a man, but rather a manchild. They look like normal men, but they have the maturity level of a five-year-old boy and can’t understand that women are human.

40+ People Share the Things They Found Out Their Parents Were Hiding That They Definitely Did Not Want to Know

Sure, it might be tempting to listen to your parents’ secretive chats, but what if you hear something you can’t undo? Read on to see the things people found out their parents were hiding that they definitely didn’t want to know.

What Did You Say?

It’s the stuff of sitcoms but it also happens in real life – try to read this next post without cringing. This person needed mental health support and was seeing a doctor in a health center. When the doctor entered the room, she picked up this person’s file and muttered some very sensitive information.

What Did You Say?

Yes, thanks to this doctor’s blunder, this person found out that they were adopted. Who knows why their adoptive parents hid this secret, but it’s out now!

Could You Keep it Down?

To be honest, a bunch of these parental secrets are pretty grim. Let’s be honest – if parents are keeping things to themselves, it’s probably for a reason. Or, like in this case, they don’t think anyone is listening to them.

Could You Keep it Down?

From where we’re standing, this mom is acting pretty horribly. Firstly, she’s criticizing her kid to her friends, and secondly, she’s doing it within earshot of the kid. That’s no way to create trust and respect in a family.

Thinking For the Future

Nobody wants to think of their parents’ private lives, especially when it comes to the bedroom. But fear not, parents have been thinking about this sort of stuff for decades now. This person decided to plan their house so that their kids would be at the other side of the building.

Thinking For the Future

One day in the future, these kids are going to grow up and realize that their parents didn’t sleep so far away by accident. This secret isn’t out yet, but it’s coming.

Dad, The Serial Dater

It can be cute to find out how your parents first met each other. Maybe they met at a party, perhaps they worked together, or, a mutual friend might have introduced them. This person’s parents say that they were introduced by the mom’s sister, but that just raises suspicions.

Dad, The Serial Dater

This person reckons that their dad actually dated their aunt first, and then moved onto their mom. It looks like dad is a little bit of a serial dater.

Keeping Medical Secrets

To be honest, we think it’s particularly cruel to keep information about someone’s health from them. We all have our own bodies, and we all deserve to know what’s going on with them.

Keeping Medical Secrets

This person’s mom knew that their kid was autistic but didn’t share the information with them. As a result, this person struggled with their identity, and didn’t get the support they should have. The only good thing to come out of this story is that this person eventually got their diagnosis.

Don’t Mention it Again

This is a sad entry into our list of secrets that parents were keeping from their kids. Unfortunately, many families can’t accept that their own family members are members of the LGBTQ community. For this reason, they might just ignore the fact that their child, sibling or other relative is in a same-sex relationship.

Don’t Mention it Again

The person who wrote this post knows that their aunt is in a long term relationship, but the entire family ignores it.

We’re Sorry, He Ran Away

Look, if you kill your kids’ pets – tell them! We get it, you don’t want them to think you’re a murderer. But would it be better if they thought you were a murderer and a liar? You can use the whole experience to teach them about loss and forgiveness and dog-related accidents.

We’re Sorry, He Ran Away

This person’s parents killed their dog, buried it, and then lied by saying it ran away. Considering how close people are to their pets, this is surely unforgiveable!

The Tale of the Poodle

From one terrible doggie tale to another, skip to the next post if you really love dogs. This person’s villainous mom got angry at their poodle and threw him 20ft across the room. It turns out you’re not supposed to toss dogs around because, just like people, they have bones.

The Tale of the Poodle

This poor poodle was taken to the vet and put down, and the mom in question lied about the whole thing. Understandably, this person is absolutely furious.

The Ultimate Secret

Next up is a cultural secret that all Christmas celebrating people eventually learn. While we’re all told that Santa comes down our chimneys, eats our cookies and leaves us gifts, it turns out the mechanics of that don’t really line up with reality.

The Ultimate Secret

At some point or another, we all realize that we should be thanking our parents rather than the man in red. This person put two and two together when they received an iPad cover from their brother and an iPad from Santa.

Keeping It Quiet

We’ll tell you up front that this post doesn’t come with a happy ending. This person struggled with mental illness as a teen but felt isolated because they didn’t know that anyone else had the same experience. This is a really common problem, especially because lots of mental health issues are still stigmatized.

Keeping It Quiet

What makes this story sadder is that this person’s mom had the same issues but that didn’t change their perspective. While these two could have had some shared understanding, they both suffered alone.

Hearing a Different Story

Growing up, lots of people hear, learn and internalize stories about their families. It can be very jarring in later life to find out a hidden detail, another perspective, or a missing piece of the puzzle.

Hearing a Different Story

This person grew up believing that their father wasn’t around because they struggled with addiction. In reality, their mom was abusive which forced their father to leave. Learning something like this would really radically alter a family dynamic – perhaps that’s why it was kept secret.

Not a Good Example

In an ideal world, parents are supposed to be role models. They show us the best way to be, and raise us to be rule abiding, well-adjusted citizens of the world. Well, that’s the plan anyway. In reality, some parents fall short of perfect behavior.

Not a Good Example

This person’s dad spends his spare time playing Wordscapes on his phone. However, instead of playing by the rules, this dodgy dad looks up cheats. Hey, cheating at a phone game is better than cheating on your wife.

Taking It to the Grave

Brace yourselves folks because this one is a wild ride. This person amazingly ended up finding out that their mom killed someone in self-defense when she was attacked. Apparently, the mom in question was attacked by two men and managed to hit one of them with her car as she escaped.

Taking It to the Grave

Both this person’s dad and grandfather helped to cover up the attacker’s death, and grandpa even took it to his grave. This person is happy to keep quiet about what they’ve learned for their parents’ sake.

Dad’s Doin’ the Dirty

Parents should really make an effort not to underestimate their kids. Often, adults think that children don’t know what’s happening, don’t understand, or don’t pay attention. However, you could argue that the opposite is true. Kids are pretty darn observant.

Dad’s Doin’ the Dirty

This eagle-eyed kid knows that their dad is cheating on his fiancé with his co-worker, and that he’s also cheating on his mistress with her ex-husband. Sorry, did we just walk into a soap opera?

I Know What’s Going On

Here’s yet another example of parents underestimating how much their kids are paying attention. In this case, a family is undergoing financial distress, and the eldest sibling is well aware of it. In fact, they’re secretly paying for gas and school fees.

I Know What’s Going On

We understand that parents would want to keep their kids from stress, especially about things like money. But alas, kids normally figure it out, and usually start chipping in like this person.

Into the Nitty Gritty

We’re pretty sure that no kid really wants to know the nitty gritty of their parents relationship. Even if your parents had a really healthy relationship, you wouldn’t necessarily want to know what they bicker about or who cuts whose toenails. So imagine how awful it would be to overhear information from a relationship that isn’t doing so well.

Into the Nitty Gritty

This person accidentally found out that their dad almost had an affair, and that their mom chose to stay for the kids.

It Was His Fault

Here’s a dark entry on our list of secrets that people found out from their parents, and wished they hadn’t. For unclear reasons, this person’s grandfather let their grandmother die when their mom was still a kid. We don’t know how or why this happened, but it’s obviously a huge piece of information.

It Was His Fault

To make things worse, this grandfather then brought another woman that he later married to his wife’s funeral. If we found out this secret, we’d have so many more questions.

Three is Company

When we watch TV or movies, pretty much everyone is either in, or looking for, a monogamous relationship. From there, they aim for a nuclear family. However, in reality, some people are interested in more than just another half. Some people might want to try a throuple, or to experiment with polyamory in general.

Three is Company

This person has figured out that their dads have a boyfriend, but they don’t know they know yet. Still with us? Anyway, we wish them all the best!

Stumbling Upon Secret Stashes

What would you do if you were rummaging around for a games console and came across tens of thousands of dollars? Would you stuff it in your pockets and run? Throw it in the air and lie in it? Or, slam the lid shut and never open your mouth about it again?

Stumbling Upon Secret Stashes

According to this post, someone found their dad’s money stash and responded with the third option. They walked away and they do not want to know anything else. Thanks, bye.

I Wish I Didn’t Know That

It’s no secret that parents spend a little adult time together from time to time. If not, there would be no kids around to poke around in their private business. This person’s grandpa had he and his wife’s bedroom double insulated when they built their home, and their son always assumed it was for innocent reasons.

I Wish I Didn’t Know That

Alas, with the passage of time we all lose our innocence. This person’s dad eventually realized that his parents probably wanted some adult style privacy.

Guys, We Live Together

We do feel for parents that spend a fortune on their kids over holidays and have to keep it all under wraps. Sure, that’s part of the fun of Christmas, but where are you supposed to stash a drum kit and rocking horse when the kids are always poking around?

Guys, We Live Together

This curious kid apparently knows where their gifts are hidden, and where their parents hide their electronics as punishment. Now that’s some useful hidden info.

Discovering the Dark Truth

When something tragic happens within a family, parents usually censor it a little for their kids. The theory is that kids will be traumatized by accounts of violence, and that their child brains can’t handle such emotional distress.

Discovering the Dark Truth

This is all fair enough, but usually people uncover these things as they get older. This person ended up discovering that their aunt was murdered by her fiancé. While this person’s parents doesn’t know that they know, they’ve done their due diligence on the subject.

Suspecting a Secret Sister

Here’s another complicated family situation that’s bursting with unspoken secrets. This person knows that they have another sister but hasn’t made that clear to either of their parents. On top of this, their two younger siblings don’t know, and neither does their step-mom.

Suspecting a Secret Sister

This is a pretty mega secret to sit on, and must raise plenty of questions. Perhaps this person will become more curious as they get older and eventually reach out to their half sibling.

Dad, Do Better

While plenty of Dads on this list are cheating on their significant others, this guy is planning on giving his wife an expensive gift. How delightful! This post is from their child who has found out about the upcoming gift because Dad didn’t hide the costly earrings well enough.

Dad, Do Better

This is a pretty wholesome entry into our list of parental secrets. If only more kids were helping their Dads find good hiding spots, rather than uncovering their affairs.

He Wanted a Boy

Obviously the dad described in this story is a horrible person, so good riddance to him! This person sadly found out that their parents got divorced because their father wanted a son rather than a daughter. Can you imagine how that would make a daughter feel?

He Wanted a Boy

On top of that, this guy is onto his fifth marriage, which tells us a lot. Clearly this person jumps from woman to woman expecting to receive a male heir in return. We wish him only terrible things.

It Would Explain So Much

We can’t say it enough times – people deserve to know about their own health! This next post is written by a person that suspects that their parents are hiding an Asperger’s diagnosis from them.

It Would Explain So Much

Whilst these parents might think that they’re helping their child by hiding this information, they’re actually causing huge amounts of damage. Having the correct diagnosis means someone can get the correct help. Plus, it’s super validating to be able to understand yourself better through a diagnosis.

I Quit, I Swear!

Hilariously, this person’s parent’s secret isn’t being kept very well. They insist that they have quit using Facebook, and yet there’s ample evidence that they haven’t. Seriously, this person’s mom posts and comments on the social networking site every single day, and still maintains that they’ve quit.

I Quit, I Swear!

It looks like someone needs to sit down with their mom and explain how Facebook works. Then they could ask her why she lies to her kids.

He Keeps Doing It

We can’t imagine what it would be like to know your dad is cheating on your mom. Shame on this father for putting his kids in such a stressful, awkward and upsetting situation!

He Keeps Doing It

This person knows that their dad has had multiple affairs, and that their mom kicked him out of the house for it on one occasion. Living with this sort of secret would be incredibly difficult, and is a perfect argument against cheating, especially when kids are involved.

Going After Grandad

Understandably, some parents try to shelter their kids from what’s going on with their grandparents. Retirement homes, degenerative illness and aging in general can cause some real family distress. However, we’d argue that keeping open communication means that everyone can process what they’re going through.

Going After Grandad

Anyway, this person found out that their grandpa tried to flee his residential home in the middle of the night. This is pretty upsetting news, and this person had to deal with it alone.

Just Forget I Said That

Remember when we said that lots of people find out that their family trees are more complicated than they originally thought? Well here’s another example of that. This person was chatting with their uncle on vacation when he casually blurted out that their mom had been married before.

Just Forget I Said That

When this person looked back at their uncle with a perplexed face, he realized the error of his ways. While it’s no big deal to be married multiple times, it’s more of a deal to hide it.

Is That What Really Happened?

We close with a slightly disturbing story that thankfully has no victims. This person grew up hearing a story about a time when they toddled off to the car and fell asleep. Apparently, when their mom found them, they were practically passing out. Alarming, right?

Is That What Really Happened?

Well it gets worse. This person later reflected on the story and came to the conclusion that their mom actually left them in the car by accident. Perhaps this mom is still in denial.

He’s Gone to a Farm

Most people can relate to the trauma and pain of losing a pet. It’s a bad enough experience already, and it gets even worse when it starts to include secrets and family members. This person found out that her mom ran over her dog, and wishes she hadn’t.

He’s Gone to a Farm

We reckon that if a parent kills their kid’s pet, they owe them the truth. Sure, death is a difficult thing to go through, but surely it’s not made any easier with lies.

The Most Awkward Position

When it comes to parental relationships, the kids should stay out of it. Knowing the inner details of your parents’ marriage can lead to unpleasant consequences, and a lifetime of stress.

The Most Awkward Position

Look, we’re not saying that you should just bury your head in the sand, but perhaps avoid eavesdropping if you can. This unfortunate person knows that their dad is cheating on their mom and is stuck swallowing the information. Parents – do better! Your kids can’t take this stress!

I’ve Told You Already

Let’s get started with a strange lie that still has unclear intentions. According to this post, someone’s mom told her that she had gotten her tubes tied and couldn’t have any more children. Of course, if your mom told you that, you’d believe them…right?

I’ve Told You Already

However, suspicions were raised when this person’s mom became pregnant 20 years later. After speaking with her dad, this poster eventually found out that her mom never had the operation she claimed to have. Puzzling!

It’s More Complicated than That

It seems like the stuff of soap operas, but lots of people do find out at some point that their family tree isn’t exactly what they originally thought. While a neat nuclear family is what’s sold as the American dream, lots of people have more complicated family units than a simple mom and pop outfit.

It’s More Complicated than That

This person discovered that their elder sister is actually their half-sister. Presumably these two were raised together, but didn’t realize that they only share one parent.

The Tough Stuff

Aging is a difficult thing. Whilst it’s an honor to grow old, it can come with illness, pain and stress for the whole family. This person knows that their grandmother’s health is deteriorating quickly, but their parents are keeping it from them.

The Tough Stuff

It’s hard to know what to do in these situations. Personally, we think that everyone deserves to know what’s going on and how much time they might have left. Otherwise, you could be in for some future resentment.

He Doesn’t Even Try

Often, parents think they’re talking privately when multiple people in the house can hear them. This means that family opinions, stresses and issues tend to spread from person to person, rather than being shared with the family unit.

He Doesn’t Even Try

This person found out that their parents are mad at their brother for his lifestyle choices and lack of motivation. Truthfully, we’re surprised and slightly impressed that these parents didn’t just chew their son out for not seeking further education.

He Underestimated Me

For any parents reading this – when you don’t believe in your kid, they can feel it. This person found out that their dad didn’t think they would get into their school of choice, and it clearly affected their self-esteem.

He Underestimated Me

It’s important to manage people’s expectations, but it can be really crushing for a kid to not feel their parent’s support. We wish this dad has decided to voice his opinions somewhere far away from his kid. Or, not at all.

He Let Me Down

Finding out about the terrible behavior of some parents is really making us feel grateful for our own, somewhat dysfunctional family. This next person found out that they were kicked out of college because their dad wasn’t paying his part of the tuition.

He Let Me Down

While we totally understand people having financial difficulties, we also think it’s the responsible thing to tell your kid about it. Again, here we have parents that end up causing their kid a serious amount of stress.

All the Secret Spots

There are big secrets and there are small secrets, and thankfully this one is fairly small. This person found out where their parents keep their birthday presents, and thinks their hiding place is pretty easy to sniff out.

All the Secret Spots

The thing is, if you don’t want to know where your birthday presents are hidden, then why go looking for them? This person could easily keep their gifts a secret if they just exercised a little self-control. Stop snooping kid!

The Unpleasant Truth

It seems like marital affairs are pretty common, and that kids aren’t that stupid. In a time where kids are much more tech savvy than their parents, it’s inevitable that someone is going to get caught out.

The Unpleasant Truth

We feel bad for the kids that know about their parent’s infidelities. Walking around with that type of adult burden on your shoulders isn’t for the faint hearted. Of course, it’d be easier for everyone if people just got divorced rather than stepping out.

A Scary Start to Life

For us, it’s a little strange that this person’s parents didn’t tell them that they almost died at birth. Of course, this would be an extremely traumatic situation for everyone involved – but isn’t that info you’d expect to have about yourself? If we fought for our lives at such a young age, we’d want to wear that as a badge of pride.

A Scary Start to Life

Clearly this person’s parents kept their difficult entry into the world a secret. Each to their own!

Long Lasting Family Secrets

A family pedigree is like a family tree except it shows genetic traits and can be used to trace illnesses. When this person was working on one in school, they didn’t think that their assignment would later reveal a family secret.

Long Lasting Family Secrets

While attending a medical appointment one day, this person noticed an extra figure on the doctor’s copy of the family pedigree. It turns out that this person’s parents had tragically lost a child and never told their kids.

Less Money, More Problems

It’s a common issue, and also a common thing for kids to pick up on – here’s another example of financial distress causing upset in a family. We don’t know what the solution is to this problem, because it’s stressful to deal with money problems and keep the atmosphere at home exactly the same.

Less Money, More Problems

However, it’s important to remember that even if we think they don’t understand, little kids are intuitive. If you’re feeling tense and stressed, they know about it.

Safe in the Safe

This person thinks that they know a secret that their parents have kept from them, but we’re not so sure. According to this post, this person knows that their folks have $10,000 for their college tuition tucked away in the safe.

Safe in the Safe

However, we suspect that college savings would go into a bank account where they’d gain some interest over the years. We could be wrong, but we reckon there are more secrets to be discovered here. Like, what’s all this cash for?