As kids, we often have a hard time understanding the complexities of the world and the challenges our parents face. But as we grow up, we begin to see their lives more clearly and can even understand their choices better. Today, we’re sharing some moving and surprising things people discovered about their family members over time, showing that every family has its secrets.

The Story:

During summer breaks, my mom would make me a sandwich for dinner and tell me to go outside. I wasn’t allowed to come back before 2 a.m. Then, we suddenly moved away from that town.

Years later, our neighbor came to visit me and said that I had “the best mother in the world.” She started sharing things I never noticed as a kid, things I never learned later because my mom passed away when I was 13.

She told me that my mom was a card reader and needed the house to be completely empty and quiet for long sessions with her clients. Since we lived in a small space, having me around would have been a distraction, so I had to stay outside.

Hearing this made me admire my mom even more. I knew she worked long days as a waitress to support me as a single mother, but I had no idea she worked evenings too, all to give me a better life. She’s my hero.