Family drama – we’ve all experienced it. Smile Breakfast recently had a conversation about the weirdest and worst wedding gifts. One of our callers told us a story involved some rivalry with her mom-in-law that started on her wedding day.

Read more: Wedding gifts – the good, the bad, and the ugly

Some secrets in Bobby’s family

The team got thinking about family drama and how everyone has a story that could fit into an episode of Days of Our Lives. Bobby happens to have had a moment when a memorial service revealed a relative’s secret family:

Family drama can be scandalous and unhealthy

Listeners shared some of the stories in their family that could be worthy of an episode in a soapie. We heard it all from affairs, funeral fights, and some casual butt grabs to end friendships:

We laugh at these moments at times but in reality family drama can actually be bad for one’s health in the long term. Tom Jacobs is an American journalist who writes about psychology and behavior. He wrote about how someone’s well being can be negatively affected by experiences in one’s family years later.

“We found that greater family strain was associated with a greater number of chronic health conditions, and worse self-related health, 10 years later.”

In his article, Jacobs cites a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology. The study followed 2,800 adults over twenty years and found a link between stressful family relationships and  poor health later in life.

The world’s most awkward family dinner

We weren’t ready for a caller who told us about some family drama that had to be kept secret for years. What could be more awkward than meeting your new partner’s parents and realising you already know each other? How about meeting your boyfriend’s dad only to be introduced to your own gynecologist?

Read more: One in four parents failed to pay school fees in 2022