No matter how perfect they may seem, almost every family has its secrets.
There are innocent secrets – like pretending to love Grandma’s chocolate cake when it really tastes like a brick slathered in chocolate icing.
And then there are the deep, dark, expertly-hidden secrets.
We’re talking the secret second family, the hidden addictions and even secret adoption.
While these secrets may be known within the family circle, they’re never ever mentioned. And there’s good reason why.
We reached out to our readers to find out the big ol’ secrets they have in their family that are never spoken about.
Here’s a handful of their responses…
Personality disorder
“Nobody talks about my mother-in-law’s personality disorder,” one reader told Mamamia.
“I was warned about it before meeting her for the first time, but have never spoken about it or acknowledged it with anyone apart from my husband.
“She’s hit members of the family with closed fists at the Christmas dinner table, and everyone remained silent or continued with chit-chat. It’s horrible.”
Secret adoption
“My mum’s cousins were all adopted during the forced adoption period in the 60s and 70s. Everyone knows except them,” one reader revealed.
“One has died from breast cancer, one’s son has extreme autism. They’re trying to do family research into these conditions and we’re all watching it with sadness because no one is allowed to tell them they’re adopted.”
Attempted break-up
“My grandma tried to get my cousin’s wife to move back to her home country instead of marrying him.”
Second family
“My father-in-law was married and had four kids before he married my mother-in-law and had two kids with her.
“He has never had anything to do with those kids and that whole previous life stuff is never spoken about.”