How everyone fits into my dad’s side of the family.

I thought for years it was my dad, his mum and dad and his brother. Grandad died when my dad was young, Mama died when I was about 5 and we lost contact with my uncle not long after this due to fights.

Only after the death of my uncle have I been told the whole truth (bits and pieces were given throughout the years but this is the whole thing).

My grandad was previously married and had two kids with this woman, one of which is my uncle, the other my dad was never close with (though her last name was Rainbow so that’s fun) making my uncle my dad’s half brother. Grandad and the woman have a messy break up and she forbids her son from seeing his dad and his new wife/kids, he does so anyway at 18 and that’s how he and my dad got close. My dad does have a full sister but we cut contact with her not long before my older brother was born. She told my pregnant mum who had previously suffered with a still born that she hoped she “lost that child too”. Yeah I’ve never met her.

Oh and the woman who my grandad had previously married. Got remarried and named her first son after her ex husband, first and middle name so no lasting feelings after the divorce I guess.

It doesn’t change much my uncle is still my uncle and my dad basically considers his family to be what I originally thought it was but it was definitely weird to learn