People are sharing some truly shocking secrets about their parents that they really shouldn't know, and it's absolutely wild.

Kids are far more perceptive than most people give them credit for. And occasionally, they uncover family secrets their parents have kept hidden for a long time.

Recently, a user named u/iLuvDILFSSSS posed the question to the internet, "What’s something you’ve discovered about your parents that you really shouldn’t have?" They shared some truly unsettling revelations, and many of these secrets are seriously disturbing.

Here are some of the most shocking and heart-wrenching stories:

1. "When I was a teenager, I moved in with my mom after spending most of my life away from her, desperately wanting to be a part of her world. One night, I overheard her and my stepdad discussing how the only reason they allowed me to stay with them was because of tax benefits and child support."

—u/tokeyythebear

2. "When I was a child, I came across an old family tree that revealed my mom had given up three babies (each by a different father) for adoption before meeting my dad. I didn't mention it, and she didn't confess it to me until nearly a decade later."

—u/BitterProfession6768

3. "My parents made an arrangement: my father would find a job so my mother could complete her college education, and then my mother would work so my father could finish his studies. My father kept his part of the deal, but when it was his turn to return to school, my mother and her entire family embarrassed him into going back to work."

"My brother and I weren't supposed to be aware of this, as we were too young, but I know."

—u/Kriskao

4. "My mom passed away in 2020, but in the years leading up to her death, she spent at least a decade trying to get my dad to divorce her. It wasn’t just a simple ‘I don’t love you anymore’ type of situation. She would attempt to get a divorce or separate so she could be independent — but also qualify for government assistance since she didn’t qualify for SSID or disability benefits while married to my dad. The only reason she never went through with it was because she didn’t want to be seen as the one who ended the marriage; she needed to be the victim and came up with plan after plan to get my dad to agree."

"She even fabricated an affair the year before she died (she was bedridden, severely ill, and disabled, so it was an online 'affair'). While I was visiting that year, I went through her entire computer history and checked every social platform she used. There was absolutely no one she was talking to; my mom was very bad with technology. She literally lied and created a fake affair as a desperate attempt to get my dad to divorce her."

—u/LesMiserableGinger

5. "For the first 16 years of my life, I believed my father had passed away in an accident. Later, I discovered he simply didn’t care about me, and my mom had been trying to protect 4-year-old me from thinking it was my fault. It was a huge shock when I found out at 16 that my biological father was still alive and somewhere out there."

—u/Christoleo92

"My parents fled Iraq during the darkest days of Saddam Hussein’s regime. As a child, I had no idea what being a war refugee meant. I used to think my father worked at the welfare office, but years later, I discovered he was actually attending therapy for PTSD there."

"When I discovered his old documents, I learned my father had been tortured in prison for helping his students escape the country. My parents never spoke about the horrors they endured. We grew up thinking we were just another normal family."

—u/Yusi-D-Jordan

"When I was little, I overheard my parents arguing in another room about the age I was when my dad left. Mom said I was just 3 months old. Dad said I was 3 years old. I didn’t even know he had left in the first place."

"At least he came back, right?"

—u/b0nes90

"My father never went to college. He worked as a mechanic for many years, sacrificing so my mother, sister, and I could have food on the table. It wasn’t until recently, during a visit to my grandparents’ house, that I truly understood the stress he must have been under when I was growing up."

"As a kid, I always saw him as this angry guy who worked all day, was always upset, and would yell at us without reason. I didn’t realize the long hours and the toll it was taking on him. But now, as I begin my own full-time career and adult life, I’m starting to truly appreciate his hard work, even though he never directly expressed it. He’s now holding a high-ranking position in a large trucking company without a degree. I’m really proud of him."

—u/CalebKetterer

My dad had a girlfriend who lived with us for a year and a half before he divorced my mom. He was in the military and went on what he described as an isolated tour overseas, where families weren't allowed. After returning to the States, I met a few people who lived in the same apartment building as him while he was stationed in Turkey. They mentioned how much they liked my mom and how it was unfortunate that I couldn't be with them. The thing is, I was with my mom in the U.S.

I eventually met his girlfriend a few months later, and interestingly, she was around the same age as my older sister. As you can imagine, we didn’t exactly hit it off.

—u/K3ttl3C0rn

My mom didn't marry my dad because she was in love with him. She chose him after the man she loved told her he couldn't marry a woman who already had a child with someone else. My dad, however, had no issue with accepting stepchildren. Eventually, she did fall in love with him, for what it's worth.

—u/SyninHex

My dad and stepmom are cousins.

—u/Kam1K1tty003

12. "When my father was serving in the Navy, he had a brief stay in Australia — just enough time to meet a local woman and spend time with her a few times. After he left, he received a letter from her saying she was pregnant, but assured him not to worry, as she was marrying a local man who would care for both her and the child."

—u/Federal_Ad_5865

13. "I’m getting older. Back when the pill was first introduced, women had to get their husbands' permission before doctors could prescribe it. My mom was close friends with a local family doctor and convinced him to prescribe it for her friends. The pills were kept at our house, so their husbands wouldn’t find out. Every morning, these women would stop by for 'coffee,' which was actually just a cover for taking the pill. My siblings and I couldn’t figure out why so many neighbors came by every day. It wasn’t until years later that one of them thanked us for keeping their secret from their husband. A few questions later, and we realized what she meant. We thought our dad would be shocked when we told him, but nope. He had known all along."

"He co-signed mortgages and helped set up bank accounts for divorced women they knew. It turns out our stay-at-home mom and workaholic dad were much more amazing than we ever realized. We didn’t know back then, but we were sitting on a huge secret. We could have easily ruined lives just by talking about someone stopping by for 'coffee' every day."

—u/designgoddess

14. "My mom has no concept of boundaries. She will openly discuss past relationships, issues she’s had, and other personal matters because she doesn’t understand that kids — I was around 14 at the time when she shared this with me — don’t need to know all your private details."

"In short, 1) she believes she’s great at oral, and 2) my stepdad isn’t circumcised. I never asked her about any of that."

—u/htxxalxx

15. "When I was a teenager, I came across a daily affirmation that my mom had written, in which she spoke about how she believed her two miscarriages before me were in heaven. After she passed away, I found an old journal, and one of the entries described how every day she would pray when she woke up still pregnant. I can't even begin to imagine that feeling."

—u/Sexysherbet

16. "When I was little, my mom asked me to live with her parents while she was going through a major depressive episode and couldn’t care for me. I believe she and my dad were separating around that time, and since I was only about 1 or 2, she was also experiencing postpartum depression. I don’t remember much of this, but one time my grandma, while drunk, confided in me — and I don’t think my mom is aware that I know."

"I don’t blame her, because I too deal with depression and have my own difficult days. Thankfully, both my mom and I are in therapy and taking medication, and she’s here with us now. I love her dearly and try my best to show her that, despite the tough experiences she’s been through, she still raised a wonderful child."

—u/winter_redditor

17. "My dad was constantly unfaithful to my mom, and at one point, he gave her an STD. When she mentioned having some kind of rash down there, he responded by saying he would get her the medication the doctor gave him. He was fully aware he had an STD — who knows how many others he might have passed it to."

—u/Twilite_empress

18. "When I was about 16, we were in the middle of moving houses and packing things. We had started cleaning in my parents' room when I came across a small box. To my surprise, inside were their adult toys. That was information I definitely did not need to know."

—u/phreek-hyperbole

19. "I am the executor of my parents' will, should they both pass in an accident. The problem is, I’m the youngest of five siblings. In October 2021, my wife and I had to drive to a bar to pick them up after they called me. The waitress, using my mom's phone, told me to come pick them up or the police would be called. When we arrived, my dad was trying to start a fight with everyone while my mom was happily drunk. On the way back to their house, they both drunkenly shared something with me about their plans."

"It’s a nightmare because all my siblings are wild, and they will completely lose it when they find out."

—u/Deathclaw_Hunter6969

20. "My father passed away when I was young, and we moved frequently after that. It wasn’t until my grandfather was dying of cancer that I found out my mother had lost more than $500K at casinos over four years. She would constantly downsize homes just to get more money, and my grandfather would always cover her losses."

"He left the rest of the money in a trust under my name for her so she couldn’t repeat the same mistake after his death."

—u/Bon-Jovi-Wan-Kenobi

21. "My dad’s been unfaithful to my mom, and now they’re getting divorced. I really shouldn’t have found out about his infidelity, but he’s just too loud when they argue."

—u/Lily-chan690

22. "When I was a baby and young child, my dad struggled with drug addiction and would drive us around while using. As a kid, I didn’t know he was gone for a month at a time, I just thought he was on 'business trips' because he worked as a technician for the phone company."

"I also had no idea that he was married before my mom. One day, I came across some old photos and discovered his wedding pictures from his first marriage. He never talked about it, but now I get why that relationship didn’t last."

—u/Any_Challenge5650

23. "My mom was 18 when she got pregnant after dating my dad for just three months. By the time she was 21, broke and studying architecture, my dad was doing everything he could to care for our 'unexpected' family. He earned his degree, built a career as an architect, and they had two more kids. I was the youngest. After 25 years of marriage, she wanted a divorce to 'explore life.' The shocking part? She kept journals and had a habit of writing things down. When I was about 21, already a child of divorce, I snooped through her journals and found an entry where she confessed to lying to my dad about contraception when she was 18 and intentionally getting pregnant."

"She also wrote about how lucky she was that my dad made a lot of money during their marriage, and how disappointed she was that it was taking so long to get her share of the divorce settlement. That revelation has been stuck in my mind for the last nine years, and it totally changed how I view my mom. I love her deeply, but I regret reading those journals and finding that particular entry. It’s hard to explain why it hurts to think about, but it just does. It’s not for me to judge. I love both of my parents, and my dad has no idea about any of this."

—u/nekromanzerbr

24. "My mom told my dad that they would have just one meal a day so they could help support my brother and me in finishing our studies. This was during a period of war in our country, and my father was already retired. He was 50 when he had me."

"Now, my brother and I both hold PhDs. I really hope we can one day give back to them and honor the immense sacrifices they made for us."

—u/Prontialpass

25. "My father was involved in the underworld as a standover man for a notorious criminal. There were several mysterious disappearances of people who may or may not have had connections to my dad. We moved frequently because of his 'work.'"

"A TV show was even made about the criminal my dad worked for. Years later, my dad casually mentioned that the so-called missing people would never be found."

— u/OzChopper

26. "When I was about 19, I dropped my phone and it cracked, so I started looking for a replacement and came across my dad's old phone. He was 55 years old at the time. I didn’t think to clear the phone and ended up going through his messages, where I found explicit pictures he had sent to other women, aside from my mom."

—u/WhyAmIEvenHereJesus

27. "My dad first dated my grandmother (my mom's mother), then left her for my mom. The strange thing is, my grandma is the same age as my dad, and my mom is almost 20 years younger. Plus, my mom cheated on my dad and got pregnant with my brother. She hid the truth about his biological father until he was three. It turns out, the real father was my dad’s close friend and roommate."

"My mom also used to apply Sun-In to my brother’s hair so it would appear blonde like my dad's. Eventually, my dad didn’t mind and adopted my brother, loving him just like his own. When I was 8, my mom left, and my dad raised both me and my brother ever since. Our family’s story is pretty wild."

—u/Relative_Elderberry1

28. "When I was between 7 and 12 years old, my mom had several affairs. She took me on trips abroad, and at every destination, she would meet a new man. She spoke of these men like they were extraordinary and that I should admire them."

"She claimed the meetings were professional (she was a statistics professor), but years later, after her passing, I discovered a box of love letters from each of them, which left no doubt that she had romantic relationships with all of them."

—u/MarketNeither9970

And then...

29. "My parents separated when I was 3. My mother took custody of my sister and me, and she would often speak negatively about my father. She claimed that he never paid child support. It was a difficult time for us. At 15, while cleaning out a closet, I discovered every child support check had gone untouched. She resented him so deeply that she chose not to cash them."

"I cried and put them back. All that came to my mind was when I was around 5 or 6 and was constantly hungry. I have never confronted either of them about it."

—u/Harrypitman