Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Divulge The Secret They Promised One Parent They’d Never Tell The Other

Is it ever okay to keep a secret from your parents?

It's been said that what people don't know won't hurt them, and that can certainly depend on the circumstances. But some secrets aren't all sad, dark, and depressing. Some are quite wholesome, believe it or not!

And sometimes your parent might be in on the secret. That's right. One parent.

People were keen to share their experiences after Redditor TheCripdalorian asked the online community,

"What’s one secret you and a parent have kept from the other parental figure?"

"He fought back one day..."

"When I was 10, my older brother (12) was bullied in middle school because we were poor and wore Payless our entire lives. He fought back one day and was suspended from school. When my mom asked what happened, he didn't want to hurt her feelings so he lied."

"I told her what happened and she started to cry. The next day she took us to a shoe store and bought all three boys Nikes, which were very expensive (think Ken Griffeys). She made us promise to not tell our dad and if he asked, they were super cheap on sale."

"She bought us Nikes two times a school year even though they were way out of our budget because she didn't want us to feel s****y at school. I love you, Mom."

tkm0ney

It's awful that we live in a world where people get judged for not wearing clothing that is fancy enough.

"The day that my mom left..."

"My stepdad and mom broke up. The day that my mom left, taking me with her, I went back into the house to say goodbye. I got along well with him, my mom is a bit crazy."

"I was young, middle school age. He was devastated and broke down (a first) crying. He told me that he had never told anyone this but the reason he had issues getting along with my mom was because he was assaulted as a child, and he was sorry. He made me promise not to tell her or anyone."

"I never did. I always wondered if I should tell her but keeping his secret was the only thing I could do for him and I still cared for him a lot so I never told anyone. I wouldn't even post it here but sadly he passed away some years ago now."

"It was really sad, he was a nice guy. But it never would have worked anyway with my mom."

sarradarling

You're a good person, and it probably meant the world to him.

"My Mom worked days..."

"My Mom worked days, and my Dad was on midnight shift. So meals were my Dad's responsibility that week."

"One day, instead of cooking dinner, he took me to a funeral of an old teacher of his that had passed away...so that I could eat those little sandwiches, cheese and desserts."

mollymuppet78

This makes me think of all the times we went to Costco for free samples... though nowhere near as morbid.

"My mom slipped me the money..."

"I rented Mike Tyson's Punch Out when I was in 7th grade and kept it out until I owed $47. My mom slipped me the money to pay it off so my dad wouldn't go crazy about the money, which was a LOT of money for us back then. If he'd found out, he would have prohibited me from renting games for a while."

"I don't think he knows about it even now."

This is sweet and wholesome but we bet you remembered to return games after that!

"My dad and I would wrestle..."

"My dad and I would wrestle for fun. He would pretend to let me win, then he would get sudden strength and throw me into the couch. Well on this particular day, he mistimed his throw and yeeted me into the end table. I was fine….but the lamp on the table was not. We cleaned it up and went to the antique store to buy a really similar lamp. Mom never figured it out."

dbar58

These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...

My favorite part of this story is that it's a really similar lamp!

"First time I got drunk..."

"First time I got drunk at a party. I was hammered and was scared to take a cab. Then I remembered my mom telling me I could always call her for help and she’d be there with no consequences."

"I called her and she picked me up. All she did was make sure I was safe and had enough water to not get as bad a hangover as I was going to. No blaming me for waking her up at 3 am, no chiding just telling me she was proud of me for calling her for help."

"My dad, who’d most likely have a panic attack at the thought of me having been drunk, still thinks I was picked up because I was sleepy instead."

"Thanks mom."

certified-dumbass-TM

Parenting done right – good to hear that you can trust your mother!

"Now that my brothers and I are all adults..."

"Well, my parents divorced when I was quite young, and around age 14 I happened upon a substantial stash of pot in my mom's house. She wasn't angry about it or anything, and I knew she wasn't a stoner or anything, it was just a one-time thing she'd gotten from a friend."

"But as she correctly pointed out, if I ever told my dad he would do everything in his power to get full custody of me, and I wouldn't get to live with her anymore."

"Now that my brothers and I are all adults I can tell that story all I want, but yeah, I kept that secret."

NomenNescio13

Divorces can be very acrimonious. It sounds like you did the right thing here.

"That I'm the one..."

"I’m the one who got those massive dents in the back of the car when I was 17… backing into the OTHER car they owned. It was not a parallel parking hit and run."

Veauros

Yeah... it sounds like it'd be best to keep this one to yourself. What they don't know won't hurt them, right?

"I got lucky..."

"I got lucky and found a Wii for Christmas the year it came out. But it was for me from my parents. Anyways, one day I'm home from school and Dad was home from work. We opened it, played Wii sports all day and put it back before Mom came home."

Infectedrage

This is such a sweet and wholesome memory!

"The gingerbread cookies..."

"The gingerbread cookies on the balcony... Yeah, some of it was eaten by the birds, but not all of it. Sorry mom!"

VattghernCZ

You little rascal! She should have known!

Some of these stories are sweet and others saddening. Regardless, many people have their reasons not to tell their parents things. Mum's the word.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments section below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Harry Styles; Pope Leo
Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty Images; Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Harry Styles Hilariously Reveals Why He Was Randomly At Pope Leo's Conclave Election

At the end of 2022, Harry Styles wrapped up a two-year tour that led to a much-needed break to rest his body and mind. But that break turned into an almost three-year hiatus, leaving his fans to miss him and worry about whether he would return to the stage.

The former One Direction singer did not just stay at home in bed watching rom-coms, however.

Keep ReadingShow less
Connor Storrie; Hudson Williams
Harold Feng/Getty Images

The 'Heated Rivalry' Stars Got To Carry Olympic Torch Through Italy—And Fans Are Cheering

Life seems to be imitating art for Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams.

Don't get too excited—this is not an announcement that the pair are a real couple now. But they are getting to bask in one of the highest honors for an athlete: carrying the Olympic torch.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sydney Sweeney
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for W Magazine

Sydney Sweeney Could Face Charges After Hanging Bras On Hollywood Sign Without Permission

Legendary and controversial showman P.T. Barnum has been credited with saying, "Any publicity is good publicity." Of course, Barnum was operating in the 1800s when he could shape the narrative and kill damaging news.

In the digital age, publicity can quickly reach a global audience. Any missteps or poor choices are out there before damage control can be done.

Keep ReadingShow less
Glenn Close; Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Glenn Close Offers Dire Warning To Trump Over His Regime's 'Inhumanity' In Powerful Video

Film legend Glenn Close shared her feelings on President Donald Trump and his regime's "inhumanity" in a viral video on Instagram, saying she felt "compelled" to speak out in the wake of the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Close—best known for starring in such classics as Fatal Attraction and who recently received raves for her work on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery—condemned the "cold-blooded murder of American citizens" and warned Trump that "there will be hell to pay" as more and more people rise up against his leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; JD Vance; Tom Cotton
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Epically Rips JD Vance And MAGA Senator Over Their Hot Takes On Minneapolis Shootings

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Vice President JD Vance and Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton after they both posted heartless remarks about the recent killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

Earlier this month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Good in her car. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed Good “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them.”

Keep ReadingShow less