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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for your secrets you're taking to the grave

665 replies

FuckingFabulous · 17/09/2021 20:06

Lighthearted, and risk free. Given that this is all anonymous and all that.

When I was fourteen, I was out with my friend after drama club. It was winter and dark and fucking freezing but I was sweating as well as shivering. We were walking to her grandma's house in the next village where I was getting picked up by my stepdad in about an hour. I was quite clearly ill, but my mum had not believed me and sent me to a long day at school. As we were walking, my belly churned and I knew that there was gastric trouble afoot. I excused myself into an innocent looking field for "a wee" but I knew it was not that. Thankfully, there were no street lights at all, so even if someone had come past, they'd not have seen. It was pitch black. My friend kept watch while my bowels evacuated what seemed like water and slime for about five minutes and sweat dripped off my body onto the ground, I can remember how much I was shaking and how I had the weirdest taste of metal in my mouth. When the onslaught ended, I didn't know how to wipe my bum. I took off my school tie, wiped with that and then had no idea what to do so I just discarded it at the scene and shamefully scuttled back to my friend. I was then off school for a week with some kind of horrible intestinal infection.

But the field. The quiet little field I'd chosen to slip over the fence into. It was a graveyard. And I'd relieved myself right next to a war grave. Right before armistice. And left my school tie there. How do I know? Because it was in the school newsletter as a "regrettable incident" and anyone with information as to who the culprit was could report in confidence to the headteacher. I expect the groundskeeper reported it to the school. Even my mum tutted about no respect. Thank god it was over 20 years ago. Nowadays it would have trended with a hashtag and a witch hunt.

And now I have finally told the tale. What's yours?

OP posts:
EspressoDoubleShot · 24/09/2021 07:58

@whoami123 I want to acknowledge your post and the harrowing impact it’s had and the burden of carrying that secret. There aren't adequate words that one can say. Shocking your father betrayed trust and had such heinous behaviour. It’s vile

Take care of yourself.

Zeal · 24/09/2021 09:23

@FrankieDobie that’s fairly identifying isnt it?

Ddot · 24/09/2021 10:04

whoami123
Similar thing happened to a friend of mine. Father died a few years ago, never did tell the family. Suffering with mental issues and always will. Family treat differently because always been cold and insular. Has sworn never to let on. It eats you away, talk to a professional, let it out.

TheWoleb · 24/09/2021 10:35

@Zeal

Not really. Post like that on our local pages attract literally hundreds of comment, all saying the same thing. "Kids today are wild and their parents don't give a shit, all too busy to pay attention to their kids" etc. So even if someone else from that page with the pumpkin post is on here, they would have a few hundred people to choose from. All they know is that one of those commenters is the parent of the culprit.

TheWoleb · 24/09/2021 10:38

@Harford

That's hardly a secret though, is it? Your friends and family must know where you were living.

Also, did he change his will when you moved in? Because you wouldnt have got the money unless he named you in his will... and I'm guessing that any family out there would have challenged it.

Are you quite young? Because your post just seems naive at best.

TheWoleb · 24/09/2021 10:41

I know you said you were mid 30s but it just seemed like the post of someone younger, who didnt really understand inheritance.

AdmiralCain · 24/09/2021 11:14

I'm still friends with my childhood sweet heart. We meet for coffee's and write each other emails. Nothing more but they still make me incredibly happy. For all the happiness they've given me I'll be leaving them a 6 figure sum in my will. They have no idea. I'm single with no children.

Plumtree391 · 24/09/2021 11:30

I will be your friend, AdmiralCain :-).

My secret. I smoked a joint.

Morporkia · 24/09/2021 12:11

I ripped the baize of a snooker table in a back room of a pub that belonged to a friend of my parents when I was about 9.. I got 2 sachets of sugar and mixed it with a bit of water and “glued” it back down...

MrsLargeEmbodied · 24/09/2021 18:05

dd @ 15, trying on a prom dress, from very nice vintage shops not saying where, could not get a dress off, it ripped while coming off
we left sharpish Blush

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 24/09/2021 20:38

@TerribleZebra

When I was about 8 my form teacher retired and we were all asked (told) to produce a poem to go in a book for her. I didn't like her and didn't want to do it. My mum really lost her temper with me and sent me upstairs to produce a masterpiece. I copied a poem out of a book and passed it off as my own. My foolish mum believed me and even suggested improvements. Why she thought her 8 y.o. DD would have (in the space of 30 mins) produced a poem about a Victorian washerwoman in homage to a teacher she hated is beyond me.
I don’t know why but that really tickled me
Harford · 24/09/2021 22:32

That's hardly a secret though, is it? Your friends and family must know where you were living

I was living and working in an area miles from them so told them I was staying with an old friend.

Also, did he change his will when you moved in? Because you wouldnt have got the money unless he named you in his will... and I'm guessing that any family out there would have challenged it

He had no family as in no kid, any he did have he was estranged from after a big row over his parent's inheritance decades earlier. He told me I would be seen to when he died but I think he was stringing me along but then so was I. Guess we were both desperate; him for company and love, me for money and financial security. My biggest sin was that I would look at the drug cabin in his toilet which was filled with drugs and he was in bad health and I'd be hoping he'd die. That's the part of me that will fry in hell for- thoughts like that.

Are you quite young? Because your post just seems naive at best

mid-30s, perhaps naive but call it desperation and a path derived from despair at reaching this age and renting in houseshares and working every hour god sends and having not a penny. I wanted an escape, I went on a dating site seeking out old men. If my parents had found out they'd have flipped that I was sleeping in a bed with a man their age, he was 40 years my senior only he looked more in his 80s.

Ddot · 24/09/2021 22:59

I hope your in a better place now

OneToFive · 24/09/2021 23:12

I’m certain that my Dsis child father is not her DH. We went on holiday together, I heard the story of how they hadn’t slept together in years, Dsis shagged someone we met on holiday, and the resemblance is uncanny.

forthebothofus · 24/09/2021 23:23

Many many years ago I worked abroad as an abroad as an au pair. I ended up in a really awkward situation. The DW almost engineered a situation, and I ended up in relationship with the DH, but DW knew everything. I did enjoy it, but it was uncomfortable too. I was really well paid. I did this for 3 summers, and I still feel very confused about it.

I was very close to both parents (passed away now, I miss them both) and still in contact with their kids. Never told DH

forthebothofus · 24/09/2021 23:23

Never told him the full story

Harford · 24/09/2021 23:29

Its ironic that the op asked for our "lightheaded secrets" when often these threads spiral into the outright dark ,taboo and sinister tales that could cause such damage if ever revealed.

Washeduponthebeach · 24/09/2021 23:41

My boyfriends parents went on holiday and left their son in the house as he was visiting at the time.
I was working in the same town but had accommodation through the job. Boyfriend invited a couple of friends round and me and we got quite drunk on their booze. One of us broke an ornament accidentally and spilt red wine on the carpet. We super glued the ornament together and poured salt on the wine. Amazingly enough, they never noticed the break in the ornament . The wine stain came out! Felt so guilty.

Blahglah · 25/09/2021 01:00

My brother did a big sloppy shit on my then boyfriends living room for when he was staying over and I'd just moved in. I don't know how or why but I panicked and cleaned it up and never told my then boyfriend who is now my husband of 10 years. Never told anyone, not even the therapist I saw later for more brother related woes.

MindMyRead · 25/09/2021 09:35

Not so serious, but something I do feel bad about. As a petulant 14 year old teen I had to stay with sister and her DH for 2 weeks, away from friends, pre internet, etc. She didn't really engage with me, barely fed me in fact. They'd go to work and I'd be bored silly.

They had a coin jar, I ended up "taking" money from that walking/bus to local town to HMV shop. My sister smoked so I ended up trying that out of boredom, hated it. Drank some spirits they have and got a bit drunk a few days day (added back in tap water!). Discovered some porn mags in their bedroom, wow I'd never seen anything like that, and I was intrigued. Found an envelope of money with literally hundreds in it. Packing up to go home, I ended up taking 60 pounds from that envelope, a CD I really like and a few porn mags.

Sister never mentioned anything later.

Loveme2times · 25/09/2021 09:41

I spent 4 years at all girls boarding school. I was a really toxic environment. I didn't like it, but didn't hate it either. I was "lucky" in that I was pretty, confident and physically strong/taller than most, very good at sport. There was a lot of bullying, a lot of emotional abuse, and some things that I'd consider now sexual abuse/coercion. I was not directly involved in that, but looking back I feel I should have done something. I knew it was not good.

I'm sure things are much better these days, but I'd not let DD go to boarding school.

Harford · 25/09/2021 09:56

*I spent 4 years at all girls boarding school. I was a really toxic environment. I didn't like it, but didn't hate it either. I was "lucky" in that I was pretty, confident and physically strong/taller than most, very good at sport. There was a lot of bullying, a lot of emotional abuse, and some things that I'd consider now sexual abuse/coercion. I was not directly involved in that, but looking back I feel I should have done something. I knew it was not good.

I'm sure things are much better these days, but I'd not let DD go to boarding school.*

Em what exactly is the secret? You just described the majority of secondary schools really both back then and today.

Harford · 25/09/2021 10:00

They had a coin jar, I ended up "taking" money from that walking/bus to local town to HMV shop. My sister smoked so I ended up trying that out of boredom, hated it. Drank some spirits they have and got a bit drunk a few days day (added back in tap water!). Discovered some porn mags in their bedroom, wow I'd never seen anything like that, and I was intrigued. Found an envelope of money with literally hundreds in it. Packing up to go home, I ended up taking 60 pounds from that envelope, a CD I really like and a few porn mags

What is the secret? You stole money as a teen, experimented with booze and fags and saw your 1st porn. Pretty standard really for most teens and not any big grave secret.

Treesandsheepeverywhere · 25/09/2021 10:29

@Loveme2times

I spent 4 years at all girls boarding school. I was a really toxic environment. I didn't like it, but didn't hate it either. I was "lucky" in that I was pretty, confident and physically strong/taller than most, very good at sport. There was a lot of bullying, a lot of emotional abuse, and some things that I'd consider now sexual abuse/coercion. I was not directly involved in that, but looking back I feel I should have done something. I knew it was not good.

I'm sure things are much better these days, but I'd not let DD go to boarding school.

That's not all boarding schools though. A lot happens in schools in general but not all are the same. Same can be said for work places. I went to boarding school and loved it. It wasn't perfect by any means but the main thing is to bring up confident kids who feel free to talk to their parents if any is amiss. I wasn't confident to start with and couldn't really talk to my parents but was lucky that it was mainly a good school and I had no issues. It gave me confidence, self discipline and a strong work ethic. I'd happily send a child to boarding school, provides I'd vetted it. My 4 siblings also went to different boarding schools and only one sister didn't like it and chose to leave and go to day school.
Harford · 25/09/2021 11:56

But the thread is about secrets we are taking to the grave,not about school memories. So I repeat the question what has any of this to do with dark secrets?

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