The Weirdest Things People Have Learned About Themselves From DNA Testing
Reddit user OmarBessa asked: 'Redditors who have gotten genetic tests, what's the weirdest thing you learnt from your DNA?'
At the end of the last century DNA laboratory companies began to offer direct-to-consumer home DNA test kits.
According to The Center for Genetics and Society, as of November 2023 more than 26 million people have taken an at-home ancestry DNA test.
These tests have helped people find and reunite with long lost family members. However not all revelations were well met.
Unknown ancestry was discovered.
Infidelity and secrets and lies were also exposed by these tests which led to strife in some families.
Reddit user OmarBessa asked:
"Redditors who have gotten genetic tests, what's the weirdest thing you learnt from your DNA?"
Unexpected Ancestry
"So my dad is from the Philippines and my brothers and I all assumed our whole lives we are half Filipino and half Polish/German from my mom. Even my brothers married Filipino women and are very much into the family culture."
"Anyway I’m the only one who did the dna test and it came back we are only a 1/4 Filipino."
"There’s a mix—1% Japanese, 1% South American, etc...—but the big surprise was our missing 1/4 was Iranian/Romanian."
"My brothers flat out refuse to believe it."
~ Accurate-Neck6933
"Learned that I (White) had a 100% Nigerian ancestor around 130 years ago. Now I want to dig deeper to find out who it was!"
"What’s funny is that I spent a gap year in Nigeria as a teenager, and I love the culture and food and still have a lot of Nigerian friends."
"It’s still a big part of my life."
~ MPD1987
Identity Confirmed
"For 29 years, it was assumed that my dad who raised me was not my biological father, that I was the product of an affair my mother was having."
"I came out with blond hair, freckles and blue eyes. A stark difference to my tanned, dark featured dad."
"My dad chose to raise me as his own anyways, refusing paternity tests. I was never made to feel like I wasn't his."
"I took 23&Me simply out of curiosity and found out that he is in fact my biological father."
"My dad has told me he didn't want to know the results either way, but I let it slip showing my sister's the app one time at dinner."
"He didn't react, but I got an extra big bear hug getting on the train to leave that night."
"It was assumed when my mom found out she was pregnant that the pregnancy was the product of the affair. My features only solidified that assumption."
"He was already raising my mom's first daughter as his own, who he'd met when she was 2 and told my mom he wanted to keep raising the kids together. They got married and he adopted her a few months after I was born."
She was also treated so much as his that I didn't even know she was adopted by him until I was a teenager."
"My parents stayed together for 14 years, and to this day are still best friends."
~ LamePennies
"As an adult, my father-in-law found out his mother was actually his grandmother and his older sister was actually his mom."
"Things were different in the late 30's."
~ CBus660R
"I think this is quite common, especially when the real mother is still very young and in school when they get pregnant."
"The grandparents will adopt the baby and say they’re the mum’s sister/brother, and so the mum can continue their life as normal as possible."
~ _leo1st_
Adoption Answers
"The daughter I adopted and I are actually distantly related!"
~ cherrybounce
"As an adoptee who is considering doing the DNA thing, this intrigues me."
"My brother (also adopted, not a blood related sibling to me) did the DNA thing and found his birth family! I got to meet two of his half siblings. It was fascinating seeing 'nature vs nurture' in real time."
"There were certain mannerisms, etc... that all three of them did, and then other things my brother did that are definitely from the family we were raised in."
"Really cool to watch."
~ MasterChicken52
"Not me but my grandma got a DNA test done because she was sold as a baby—this happened back in the 30s (Depression Era, USA)—and never knew her biological parents, so a family member urged her to do it so we could maybe find them."
"We found both sides—a half-sister from her bio mom and a half-brother from her bio dad."
"Although it was kinda weird to realize we have family close by (only 20 miles away in one case), it was much weirder for the bio families to discover my grandma’s existence, since neither side had anything to do with the other."
"Her bio mom and bio dad seem to have crossed paths at some point in the same city. He was a married man, she was an older teen. Not sure if it was a one night stand or whatever but her bio mom was pregnant as a result of that night."
"At some point in her pregnancy, she checked into a home/hospital for pregnant unwed teen mothers (using a fake name). The bio mom was told the home would find homes for the babies, so she delivered and left."
"Bio mom went on to marry and have her own family, while bio dad likely never knew of the situation."
"As it would turn out, the home was not adopting out babies, rather selling them. Since my grandma was blonde and blue eyed she was bought quickly for a higher price by a woman."
"My grandma didn’t know until her teens that she was sold."
~ very_bored_panda
"My grandparents—they were married at the time—had a biological son they gave up for adoption before my mother was born and never told any of us about."
"Turns out some of the extended family knew my grandma had been pregnant before my mom but kept it a secret."
~ Academic_Smell
"If it was during the great depression in the US it was sadly something that happened. Not even just with babies."
"Some families had to give away their children or some of their children (I can't imagine the trauma for everyone involved) because they couldn't afford to feed themselves, let alone a child."
"My husband's grandmother told me about family members she knew who had to find new families for their children or even send them to live in an orphanage where they would at least be fed.
"Sometimes they were able to get the kids back after finances improved but not always."
~ EthelMaePotterMertz
Infidelity Exposed
"My ancestry is exactly what I grew up being told, I have several family members who were really into genealogy".
"But I found out I have a first cousin we didn't know existed."
"Apparently, my uncle had gotten married and had a son no one knew about when he was 19 and stationed across the country that he bailed on."
~ nelsonalgrencametome
"Ends up my bio dad was quite the dabbler."
"None of his relatives were surprised I existed, just that I was the only stray kid that did (so far). I keep an eye on my results for any other mystery siblings!"
"I told my new half siblings if I ever went to a family reunion I'd show up in a shirt that said 'Spare Parts' or 'I'm your plot twist'."
~ Catlore
Solving Unsolved Mysteries
"I had the same suspicions when I took my test. Turns out it was my grandmother instead with the secret babies she put up for adoption."
"Didn’t find out until 6 years after she passed away so we’re never getting answers as to what happened."
"Also got a surprise contact by the police, as I was a high match to a John Doe that was found drowned on the shores of Lake Superior in 1991."
"That was a fun family tree rabbit hole to dive down. Turned out to be a half 1st cousin from my grandmother’s firstborn."
"The local police were great about informing me and communicating. The case was assigned to them by the provincial police who were clearing out thousands of cold cases."
"I was also very excited to assist because I’d done a rather in-depth family tree about a decade prior."
"They have a team of forensic genealogists, most of them on a volunteer basis, and they were incredibly good at finding information. A lot of it was birth/marriage records and working off random dna matches to try and figure out where the Doe related to the match."
"In my case, I was a 422cm match to the deceased so we looked from my maternal great-grandparents on down."
"I assisted myself on a couple of cases afterwards, all just unidentified bodies found in water or bush, nothing criminal that would require clearance."
"To be honest, I felt a little morbid because of how interested I was in the process. I had to temper my enthusiasm when responding to the police initially."
I didn’t know the person, I had zero attachment to them and it was more of a scientific interest."
"It wasn’t until weeks later when I realized how close of a relation it was that it hit me. That plus he was likely murdered made me feel bad about my earlier enthusiasm."
"But in the cases I volunteered on, those people were loved and missed."
"One fella was a cousin of a beloved NHL enforcer that passed away a year before and I recognized the names of the immediate family we had to contact. They still had Facebook groups dedicated to searching for him with posts until the day before we contacted them."
"I’m sure there’s a relief at having answers but grief at the loss being confirmed."
~ Jrewy
More and more people are exploring their roots through DNA testing.
Have you taken a test? What was your DNA revelation?
People Who Lost The Genetic Lottery
Reddit user G00dR1ddance asked: 'How did your genetics f'k you over?'
One of life's many challenges to being successful and happy is to work hard and stay focused on our respective goals.
There are many obstacles that can discourage us, but persistence and a drive to overcome can be rewarding.
Unfortunately, there are some things that are simply beyond our control, and it has nothing to do with fate.
It's the qualities we're either born with or without that can impede us or prevent us from ever achieving what can only be seen as a pipe dream.
Curious to hear examples of one of life's cruelties, Redditor G00dR1ddance asked:
"How did your genetics f'k you over?"
These Redditors were unhappy with appearances.
Uncooperative Vision
"Lazy eye, and a total lack of depth perception."
– Crow_of_Judgem3nt
"Same. Do you struggle with driving? I just moved to a big city and I can’t drive here bc navigating all the traffic is too hard with no depth perception. It’s so scary!"
– Subnautica24
The Worst Parts
"Moms Family: Perfect teeth, male baldness. Dad's family: Terrible teeth, perfect hairline."
"Me: Sh**ty teeth, bald before 25. My 2 brothers: Perfect Teeth, Perfect Hairline."
"Feels FN bad."
– Yogannath
"They should all chip in for a trip for you to Turkey for a cheap hair transplant and dental work."
– turboprop123
Made For Farming
"All 4 grandparents were farmers. I look like I was bred to farm and f**k to make more little farm workers. Broad shoulders, big boobs, no waist, no @ss worth mentioning, and thick legs. I just look like I was bred to work forever until I die. 120 years ago."
– bwvdub
Stop With The Flattery
"I too am sturdily built. I am not tall but I am muscular and broad with the big boobs and the broad hips and sturdy legs. I could carry very heavy sacks of feed from when I was very small. My family nickname was 'the forklift truck', so that's.. nice."
– LibraryOfFoxes
Room For More
"My mother’s OB said she had a pelvis ‘you could drive a bus through’. I was a natural breach birth and share those genetics. You could host the last supper on my a** and have room for plus ones."
– Elephant_axis
These Redditors are living on borrowed time.
Cardiovascular Health
"Bad heart. I'm the first male in at least 4 generations to make it to 40. And that's only because I was finally properly diagnosed and treated. I wouldn't have made it to 35 if I didn't find the right cardiologist."
– socteachpugdad
"Bum ticker - dad’s aorta exploded when I was 11 and my brother died from the second heart at 41. Just hoping to see my 60s."
– poontong
Being Kept At Bay
"I have a blood condition where I retain iron. It's slowly killing me. Destroyed my liver, pancreas, and led to a massive heart attack."
"Fortunately, I live in the 21st century where modern medicine can keep me going with...bleeding."
– Objective_Stick8335
"Sad Aspect" Of A Family
"Huntington's disease"
– alc1864
"My oldest uncle married a woman who had Huntington's, but they were very young and she wasn't symptomatic yet. In the 70s so no genetic testing or much public awareness. They had 5 daughters. My aunt and their eldest have long since passed away, and the remaining 4 are in various stages of the disease. It's always been a sad aspect of our family. A truly cruel disease."
– Wasyloosker12
BRCA Genes
"I’m BRCA2 positive, giving me roughly 74% chances of developing an incurable genetic breast cancer in my life. It also gives me about 22% of having an ovarian cancer."
"On the other side, double mastectomy lowers my chances to about 3%, but it should ideally be done before I reach 30. I will also need a hysterectomy in my 40s."
"I had 50/50 chance of getting the BRCA2 gene mutation so well, genetics did f'k me over!"
– PoutineMaker
Redditors share more of their crosses to bear in life after being blessed with these traits.
"I'm more attractive to mosquitoes than most people. If I'm out when mosquitoes are around, I end up covered in bites (which I'm also allergic to, so I end up with quarter sized welts that itch for daaaays after the fact)."
– p1013
It's sobering to realize the ailments your parents struggled with are starting to become our own to bear.
High blood pressure, arthritis, and predisposition to atherosclerosis are some of the undesirable parts of my family's genetic makeup that I never really thought about until I noticed how fatigued and in pain I've become with age.
Although I have so much gratitude for surviving every year I get to celebrate my birthday, getting old still sucks.
Barring identical twins, no two bodies are the same.
Indeed, some people are born with rare or unusual elements to their bodies which very few, if any, other people also share.
While some people will go to great lengths to cover these up, or make them less conspicuous, others wear their unique elements with pride.
There are also people whose bodily oddity isn't visible, but instead have a unique genetic makeup, substantially affecting their daily routine for better or worse.
"What's unusual about your body?"
Shimmering Silver Hair
"My hair started losing its color when I was 10 years old."
"I used to be brunette."
"My hair has been completely silver and white since my 20s."- ConcernedApath3
gone with the wind waiting GIF by CRPTC CHILDGiphyMechanical Heart
"My heart is bionic at this point."
"I’ve had 4 open heart surgeries, aorta and mitral valves are now titanium."
"It makes a ticking noise like a clock."
"I’m only 30."
"Hopefully I live longer."- Tired-humanoid
Misplaced Anatomy
"When I was born, none of my organs were in the places they should be."
"Had 5 surgeries after birth to get everything moved around, and put to right places."
"Luckily, no issues since."- iMissTheOldKimye
"My internal organs are all flipped 180 degrees."
"So everything's backwards."
"Situs inversus totalis."
"Sorry I should've clarified better."
"Not flipped in place but completely mirrored."
"So organs are on opposite sides as well."- tr1ppymayyyyne
Saves You Trouble On Lint...
"Two of my toes on each foot are webbed halfway."
"The index(?) and middle toe, each side."
"Nothing else."
"I can’t swim any faster which I personally think is bullsh*t."- dirtyethanol73·
Sometimes One Is Enough
"I was born with 1 Kidney."
"But my 1 Kidney is the size of 2 combined."
"So I have 1 super kidney."- Jay12678
Switch and Swap
"I have a rare condition in which my large intestine is smashed over to one side of my torso and my small intestines are smashed over to the other side."
"The only reason we discovered it is that one day, they decided to physically switch places causing extreme pain."
"They have switched places a total of four times in my life."
"It's really painful and kinda gross hearing your goopy bits flop around inside of you."- jtolb65
Animation Eating GIF by FOUGiphyBetter Than A Growling Tummy...
"I sneeze when really hungry."- Scrum_Bucket
How Long Have You Got?
"Well, I am an achondroplastic dwarf, so lets see…"
"I’m 4’0” tall at 29 years old (male), I have disproportionately short limbs compared to my torso."
"I can barely put my hands in my trouser pockets because they are so short."
"I also need to get all my trousers cropped."
"3/4 length trousers can also work as full length for me."
"I have what is called 'trident hand configuration'."
"Basically my hands naturally split into the vulcan hand sign (like three prongs)."
"It’s a common way to identify achondroplasia in the womb and how I was diagnosed."
"I did have bowed legs."
"I needed to have my legs broken and straightened when I was a kid."
"That was fun."
"Can’t fully straighten my arms."
"Even when fully extended, they are slightly bent."
"Also can’t raise them much beyond my shoulder."
"Super handy when you’re 4 f*cking feet tall and everything is out of reach."
"Absolutely stellar."
"I have mono-lids despite being a white af Scottish guy in a family with no mono-lids."
"That and frontal bossing and a depressed nasal bridge is the package 'dwarf face' deal when it comes to achondroplasia."
"Guarantees that you’ll always get random strangers approaching you going 'aren’t you that guy from time bandits?'"
" Despite the fact that you were born in 1994."
"There’s more stuff but I could be here all day."
"Just to be clear - these are all symptoms of my dwarfism."
"It’s not like I’ve been super unlucky and got a bunch of unrelated conditions."
"Just one mutation can cause all this."
"The body is great isn’t it?"- Usidore_
They Have An Understandable Attachment
"When I was born my umbilical cord was inside out and it was the first time the hospital I was born at had ever seen anything like it."
"So they asked my mum if it could be sent to a nearby university to be shown to students in order to show them what the inside of one looks like in real life."
"I am going to that exact university next year and will be on a quest to take back my umbilical cord."
"Provided it's not been thrown away, idk how long they last." - Reddit
homer simpson panic GIFGiphyExplains Why They're Always Buying New Towels
"My sweat is extra acidic."
"I can fully rust guitar strings in a week or 2, and have eaten holes on 2 laptops where I rest my hands, both happened within a year of use."- MoofieFoofer·
Chronic Moisture
"I sweat too much."
"If my shower is too warm, I start sweating and once I towel off I'm just wet from sweating for hours."
"My wife complains about my cold shower water but it's how I don't completely render the shower pointless."- CubicalWombatPoops
One Hole Too Many
"Small hole at the base of my spine just before my a** hole."
"To clarify I’m not talking about the actual a**hole itself, I’m talking about a small hole an inch above it."
"It’s not a cyst I was born with it."- Happy-Watercress3232
GiphyWe can't choose the body we're given.
It is a shame that some of these unique traits result in people having added visits to the doctor, or an increased need for medicine.
But whether they're proud or ashamed of their bodily abnormality, they at least know they will always have a conversation starter which will instantly grab everyone's attention.
We all have certain things about ourselves we would love to change.
Many aspects of our bodies, inside and out is the first thing to come to mind.
And what's frustrating is that many of those things we're passed down to us thanks to DNA.
Certain diseases and bodily aspects "run in the family."
Which often feels like a cosmic joke.
We have to learn to embrace it.
So let's do some venting...
Redditor dump_acc_91 wanted to hear about what generational issues have been passed along to many of us.
"Which sh**ty genetics did you inherit?"
My eyes. One droops, seems to be a paternal side issue. I'm looking into eye surgery but it's expensive.
Head to Toe
the addams family remix GIFGiphy"Hair on every inch of my body except for the top of my head."
elgatogordo19
"Me too... And I'm a lady. Thankfully, due to the wonders of laser hair removal, no one can tell anymore that I used to look like the love child of a yeti and cousin It."
LilPeaHen
Drenched
"Excessive sweating."
mrzpzp
"Same and the treatments are considered cosmetic where I live. I just want to sweat a normal amount and not have to change my clothes multiple times a day like a normal person. lol"
Kyubey4Ever
"Same! My mom could stand in the sun for 2 hours not breaking a sweat while I will be drenched when the temperature rise by one f**king degree so thanks dad."
lawsuy
Scars of the past...
"Severe acne when I was a teen that left behind scars."
DeathSpiral321
"Acne that forgot to leave with the rest of puberty is also not fun. I have the scars AND I have the angry zits that like to crop up along my bra line. At least at this point, my face is taking the least of it and I don't have deep pockmarks or scarring there. But I don't wear plunging necklines because my chest is a mixture of new and old scars."
ConniveryDives
Brush Away
"Teeth. I brush using an electric toothbrush for 2 minutes twice a day using prescription toothpaste, I floss twice a day, I've had braces and I floss under the permanent retainers once a day, I wear my night retainer every night and clean it every morning, have a dedicated tongue brusher and scraper that I use as needed, I go to the dentist twice a year and get fluoride treatments, I don't drink soda or eat excessive sugar, and I still have cavities."
"I had to get a root canal that ended up failing (missed by the guy who did the root canal and 3 separate dentists) and when the cap eventually rotted off I had to get an implant which got infected, then got infected again, then was deemed chronically infected and had to be removed. Now my wisdom teeth are acting up and need to be removed. I am so f**king sick of putting in so much time, energy, and money to be below par with most of the rest of the world I'm only 33 ;_;"
NeedsItRough
Bad Breed
Red Blood Cells Sickle Cell GIF by DiscoveryGiphy"My parents met in their 20s, bonded over how they both have sh**ty circulation and everyone in their families has crappy circulation, and were like ‘I know, let’s breed!’. Went as you’d expect."
cateml
Bad circulation sucks. People don't understand the issues it causes. All of these can be difficult to deal with.
Bad Moves
poop toilet GIF by Poo~PourriGiphy"Dad has IBS-D, mom has IBS-C. My GI said you’d think they’d meet somewhere in the middle and give you regular bowel movements. Sadly not, I’m also a C."
Torshii
Issues of the Mind
"Likely Alzheimer's. Both grandmas had it, my mom has it, and I'm in my early fifties and starting to feel the beginning of decline. Frankly, I'm scared sh**less."
f_leaver
"I'm in the same boat, 2 generations in my family are diagnosed with it on my mother and father's side. Lucky me it's was late in life for both sides of the family, but I've always had notoriously bad luck so we'll see. If you haven't already, I'd definitely suggest seeing a neurologist sooner rather than later."
Taz447
It's gone...
"Hair loss."
Girlinda7
"Me too, but it's not a full bald. It's much thinner hair by my crown and down the middle of the top of my head. There's still hair there, but if you look at my head from above you can see that the hair there is much sparser."
potatoluIz
"My wife says it not a big deal but I always tell her she would be freaking out if she started to lose her hair too. Hair means just as much to men as it does to women. Confidence killer."
YM1979
Painful Endings
"I'm slowly going blind from RP. Thanks mom. My spinal discs are deflating and pinching off my nerves, Thanks dad."
ruzzerboo
"My son has RP as well. He is blind and uses a cane. He has a good government job, is married with two children. There is no cure but maybe someday. They are always working on trying to find a way to fix the retinal cells that are dying. It will happen but I am not sure if it will be this century."
LazyBox2303
Evolution
Come On Reaction GIFGiphy"Half of my face has my mom's bone structure, the other half my dad. Come on, evolution, I thought this was all about symmetry. OH and they both have addictive personalities which makes substance abuse almost instinctive. Luckily I was a pothead instead of an alcoholic or pill popper. We’re all doing better now LMAO!"
vashonnn
Form the start...
"Hard to tell what was shi**y genetics and what was a result of my mother smoking like a chimney throughout the pregnancy."
TirayShell
"Same. And she recently admitted she drank 2 beers a day as well with me so that's cool. It's a miracle that I'm a functional human."
pennylane3339
Generations
"It's alcoholics all the way down."
faceeatingleopard
"Alcoholism going back multiple generations on both sides of my family. So well documented that one of my great grandfathers was written about in The NY Times back in his day, for a few of his drunk antics. My mother got dementia from alcohol-related brain damage before 45. I just don’t drink at all, I know it’s there waiting for me."
amarg19
barely function
"The gift of over thinking (anxiety)."
Username-xxx
"I feel your pain. It takes a lot for me just trying to function since covid. Social media/news organizations don't help at all."
"Half the population is becoming desensitized, emotionless, and seriously lacking any empathy while the other half can barely function due to the stress of the state of world politics/job market/just trying to survive. The world was not like this 20 years ago, though the signs were there and were being ignored. I want a restart."
CocoScruff
The Slip
"My back went out in my 20s, and wasn't getting better. After a while I couldn't stand up straight, and had to get it scanned. The found the channel in my spine that the nerve goes through is 1/4 the size of most people's, so the very minor disc slip I'd had became a major problem."
"They wound up having to carve that channel (dunno what it's called, sorry) wider. Instant relief, but I now have a pretty weak back that's prone to going out. I recover with rest, now, thank goodness, whereas before I wouldn't. Anyway, that's probably my worst thing, genetically speaking. Bad spine."
Coygon
Blow Ups
"Anger. My father gets angry and used to get violent and even beat up my mom and us kids. My first reaction for anything is anger but over the years I've tried to control my anger as much as possible and I'd say I'm doing a much better job than before."
peoplecallmedude797
Everything
"Being unusually hairy, oily, and large framed for a woman. It's a thing with my family, none of the women in it are exactly the picture of traditional feminine beauty. I have to wear guy's sizes in shoes because my feet are too wide for most women's shoes."
alufangirl1993
Life sucker punches everyone...
"A very rare recessive progressive genetic disorder. I'm a carrier. My wife also is a carrier. Incidence of being a carrier is over 1 in 1,000,000. Unfortunately for our kids, they have a 1/2 chance of being carriers, 1/4 chance that they won't, and 1/4 chance that they'll inherit the double recessive gene and manifest the disorder. 2 out of our 4 kids have manifested the disorder and their life expectancy is 10-12 years. Life sucker punches everyone."
mbstone
It's all a mess...
"Short, acne, small boobs, crooked teeth and underdeveloped/too far back jaw (they got mostly fixed with braces), thin hair, mental illness, scoliosis, tiny toes (what the f**k is up with that, I get too many comments about my baby feet) Can't think of anything else a the moment. It's like I won the reverse genetic bingo. If this was medieval times I would definitely be the repulsive town witch."
amputatedsnek
Well, we are who we are, for better or worse. Let's make the most of it.
Every family has its secrets and lies and history.
When COVID is over, If every family member everywhere got loaded at the next gathering, and decided to open the family's "Pandora's Box," a whole lot of trouble would be afoot.
There are dark tales, crimes and misdemeanors, and Dateline NBC level nonsense littered throughout all of our family tress.
Be grateful you don't know what you don't know.
Redditoru/llsuperninjallwanted to hear about what some of us have uncovered about our family "histories" by asking...
"What's the darkest secret you found out about a family member/relative?"
Every Sunday
"When I was a kid we went to my grandma’s house every Sunday and all of my uncles and aunts would be there. One day I noticed that one of my uncles didn’t show up anymore so I asked my family where he is. They told me that he wouldn’t be able to visit anymore because he moved away. years later I found out that he killed two women and they locked him up." ~ lizkeenhater
"supposedly"
"My mother 'supposedly' has a fraternal twin. My grandmother couldn't handle the thought of two kids so she gave the male child away to someone she knew that was moving away. In a drug induced rage one night my grandmother screamed at my mom that she kept the wrong child; it was never mentioned before or after that moment."
"My mom was roughly 12 at the time. She asked my great grandmother about it and she knew the boy's name but not where they moved to or who he was living with. My mom actually had met him once but didn't know who he actually was. My grandmother denies it ever happened and my grandfather felt that 'surely they'd have had to tell me.'"
"I doubt they would have though. When she was pregnant with me, my mom asked my great-grandmother what my middle name should be: my middle name is actually his middle name." ~ psychotrshman
The Punch
"Step father was cheating on mother. Didn't find out because he was caught cheating; found out because he and his mistress were drunk, got in a fight, and he punched her so hard that she fell over and died. Found out about the whole thing during the investigation, the trial, and the conviction. Was weird to have a lawyer want to call 12 year old me to a stand to defend the character of a man I already had very little interaction and a fear of, and that was before the manslaughter charge." ~ blazedanddefused
Evil
"My father tried to kill my mother while she was pregnant with me." ~ GloryGloryLater
Bye Mom
"Two years ago I found out that my Dad had a wife before my Mom and she died in a freak accident on their wedding night. She was sleep walking and fell to her death over the balcony if anyone was wondering. I know, I feel so bad for him. He slept through it and didn't find out until the cops arrived at his door. :("
"Now I understand why my Dad always worshipped my mother and caters to her every whim because she can be a little bit of a handful. Also my Mom said that when he introduced her to his old friends they were eerily extra super nice to her." ~ PookSpeak
Lessons Learned
"I found out that my grandfather’s first wife (before my grandma) died of botulism from eating some tomatoes she had canned at home. She could have been saved, but he refused to take her to the doctor because the botulism was her 'fault.' He let her die to teach her a lesson." ~ Filiaeagricola
Honeymoon Tales
"A few years before he passed, my dad and I had a long heart to heart, at the end of which, he told me he wasn’t the one to first sleep with my mom on their honeymoon. He caught her in bed with her cousin, with which she was had been in love for a long time. He spoke with their pastor, who told him to forgive and forget."
"That worked, until 6 years later, when he caught her again, with the same cousin. He told me he wanted to leave with me but ultimately decided to stay, because he wanted me to have a family. With all that happened in my childhood, and to him (workaholic, diabetes, heart attack), I wish he’d left and be happy instead." ~ Bassman1976
Unsolved Mysteries
"There is strong debate in our family as to whether my aunt fell out of the window of her flat, whether she jumped or was pushed. She survived, but with brain damage, and says she can't remember." ~ Smart-Connection6154
Don't Tell
"I found out from my dad that one of my cousins isn't related to anyone in the family. My aunt and her mother used to work at a hospital maternity ward and apparently a woman came in one day and gave birth to him and then left the next day without him. My aunt decided to adopt him, but a few months later the woman showed up again asking where he was. They both lied that he was given up and didn't have a clue where he was. They still haven't told my cousin anything." ~ Existed_
Painful Memories
"My dad told me that, before my mom and dad broke up, he hadn't been happy with her for several years. My mother even had a miscarriage at one point, which destroyed the both of them. But he couldn't leave her, because he was afraid that she would hurt or even kill herself. So his only thought was to have a kid with her, so that motherly instinct would hopefully prevent her from killing herself." ~ SnooDonuts5850
Uncle Richard
"A member of my family Richard Stainforth used to own the Otley Chevin pub. In Otley, Yorkshire, U.K. Anyways they fell on hard times so Uncle Richard decided, in his drunken stupor. That it would be a wise I'd to set a fire and claim the insurance money. His plan was to wait until my Auntie walked the dog across the moors one night and do it then. Anyhow it gets too said night, hasn't seen Auntie or dog in hours so lites the fire, upstairs in the flats."
"Uncle Richard assumed Auntie was out.. She wasnt. As the firebrigade finished putting out the fire they found my Auntie with dog. Deceased from smoke inhalation. I'd post a ref or link but still newish to reddit. [T &, A news article] (https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/942108.amp/)." ~ stanny1387
The Kray twins
"My biological grandfather threatened to kill my grandmother while she was very young and pregnant with my uncle. (Long story short, he was engaged to someone else). My grandmother became a nervous wreck while pregnant and wouldn’t leave the house and he used to throw bricks through the window. Eventually she told some of her friends about what he’d threatened to do to her. Shortly after that he went missing, never to be seen or heard from again."
"We always kind of laughed and joked that one of her friends must have threatened him or ‘ran him out of town’. We would even go as far to say someone might have killed him for her. It wasn’t until we were going through her boxes of photos and ‘love letters’ we realised she was actually friends with the Kray twins." ~ blxndeandblue
Swamped
"My great uncle was murdered along with his wife, the murder suspect was run down and got stuck in a swamp, shot himself in the head. The strange particulars. My uncle, his wife, and the murderer were all deaf/mute. The murderer was renting a room from them. This happened in the 40's, and no one ever found the motive. A few years ago, I took a DNA test, and found that I had cousins who had descended from the murderers wife. Turns out my great uncle was cuckolding him." ~ _finalOctober_
The Doctor
"My Uncle didn’t have an aneurism stroke spontaneously. (Sorry, I’m not a Doctor). He deliberately stopped taking his blood thinners. Dude was 63 with a wife, four kids and 15 grandkids, the oldest of which was 13 and the youngest was not even a year. He was just done. His wife doesn’t know, his kids don’t know. I only know cause I overheard the family doctor telling my dad. As far as I know, only myself. The Doctor, and my dad know." ~ Phranquelyhnne
Getting away with it...
"I found out that my great-grandpa got away with murder. He thought that my great-grandma was cheating on him with her dentist so he went into his office and shot him. He got away with it too and they didn't find out that he did it until he told everybody before he died." ~ AlexGeekSpeak
Affairs
"Both of my mother's parent's had affairs without the others knowledge. My grandmother had Parkinson's and in one of her confused states she told my grandfather that she had an affair. Suffice to say my grandfather was not happy and put her in a home. He then started talking to my mother trying to figure out when it could have happened."
"He speculated that it happened around the same time he was having his affair, which was around 1966. My mother was shocked, she was born in 1967. So my mother may or may not be related to the man she believed to be her father." ~ Witchgirl2658
Australia
"My step-grandfather had a completely hidden life in Australia before he met my grandmother. He had a family and kids in Australia, and faked his death by driving his car off a cliff then moving to America. His kids thought he was dead until my grandmother found out about them and reached out years later. His son actually became a famous comedian over there, and from what I know has a joke he does at his shows about his father faking his death to disconnect from them." ~ ivydragons
Dinnertime
"A relative tried to poison one of their guests. Once I learned about it, it finally sealed the deal for me and forever changed my view on them. They were bonkers anyway but good lord that's too much." ~ VonFelder
Stories from Wartime
"I found out that my great grandpa wasn't actually my great grandpa because my great grandma had my grandma (her daughter) with a famous boxer who was extremely abusive. She divorced him after having kids with him and met my great grandpa while she was supervising the manufacturing of B-25 bombers during WW2. My mom and I are the only ones (besides my grandparents) that know the true story." ~ Pyrrhic_Void
Forensics...
"Found out that a great great uncle pretty much got away with murder. His wife turns up dead, and she had bruising around her neck. Criminal forensics wasn't to advanced back in the early 1900's. Don't know how they ruled how she died, but he remained free, and ended up marring her sister a couple months later." ~ eF240uKX52hp
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