Q&A for How to Keep a Secret

Try to keep conversation away from the topic of your secret. This way you are less likely to tell someone by mistake. If this is not possible, tell yourself to keep this secret before answering every question or making any statement.

This problem is very common. Just keep the topic of boyfriends as far from your parents' minds as possible. But know that if the relationship is serious, you will probably have to end up telling them.

Have a talk with them about how important it is to you that they keep that secret. They might not realize the implications for you if they share it, so make sure they understand.

Talk about other things with your friends. Also distract yourself from the secret. If it is not on your mind as often it is less likely that you will tell someone by mistake.

Tell your friend that you prefer not to discuss it and try to steer the conversation away from the topic. If they persist, gently remind them that you don't want to share it.

You need to trust the person with whom this happened and trust yourself to never tell. Or, you may want to come clean about it.

Ask yourself how this secret would affect the people you plan to tell. How would it affect you or anyone else the secret concerns? Would you be helping someone, or potentially hurting someone?

Write it in a locked diary, and you can tell a trustworthy family member if you must talk about it.

Talk to her about the seriousness of cheating and try and get her to break one of the relationships off. If you can't get her to do it, you may have to talk to her boyfriend about it.

It's bad to share secrets, unless keeping the secret means someone would be killed or injured.

Don't talk about Wicca around your parents at all. If you ever look up Wicca-related things on your computer, phone, etc., do it in an incognito window or delete your cache and browser history afterward. Keep any Wicca-related items in a safe, secret place, and preferably not in your house at all. Boxes that you can lock are useful, but you'd still want to hide the box. Only talk about your beliefs with people you trust and be careful with what you write down. That's a hard secret to keep, especially for someone very young, but it's possible.

Excluding your girlfriend might be perceived as rude, so consider whether this relationship is worth maintaining if you don't feel inclined to share special moments with her. If there's an activity you want to do that wouldn't suit her, you could celebrate separately or with a small group and then spend time with your friend later. If you're determined to keep it secret, ensure your friend doesn't reveal it, and if asked, say it's a small family event. However, the most honest approach would be to discuss your feelings with her directly.

You might consider writing it down in a diary and securing it with a lock. Alternatively, you can confide in your parents if you trust them to keep secrets.

The best way to NOT tell anyone is to write it in a well-hidden diary or on a piece of paper that you then burn or rip up.

You should confront them about breaking your trust and consider not sharing personal secrets with them in the future.

It depends what it is. Friends may leak your secret, even accidentally. If you really don't want to take that chance, tell a school counselor or a therapist.

I would start by finding a really good hiding place. You might even want to change your hiding spot every few days or weeks so no one catches on. In the mean time, don't tell anyone that you even have a journal. People can't go looking for something if they don't know it exists!

Don't tell anyone about it.

Accept responsibility for what you did, apologize and understand that she may not feel comfortable confiding in you any longer.

The best thing is to think about the favor you're doing for this friend. It's a show of loyalty and you may feel like a better friend yourself.

Tell them she is lying about you, and have a talk with her, too. Somebody who does that isn't being a very good friend.

It takes a long time to gain back trust after you've lost it. You will have to prove yourself to be trustworthy and not do anything to betray the person's trust again. See How to Rebuild Trust .

It is generally not advisable to share secrets about private matters. These matters are private for a reason. However, if you or someone you know is being touched inappropriately, it is important to inform a trusted adult immediately.

The best thing to do is honestly the hardest; own up to it. Have a sense of humor about it and own it. People will respect your honesty and it will blow over.

Usually past behavior tells you whether someone is trustworthy. It's generally not a good idea to tell important secrets to someone you haven't known long enough to make that call with.

First off, see what happens. If they don't tell anybody, you don't need to worry.

You're certainly welcome to try this, but cheaters almost always get caught. Make sure you keep a password on your phone and any other devices, make sure you don't call the girls the wrong name, and don't tell any of your friends about your two relationships unless you're sure they can be trusted.

Most likely everyone will not hate you, no matter what the secret is. Tell someone you really trust and that you think will not judge you. If that goes well, tell someone else. Even if the secret upsets someone, it's usually best to be honest, and you'll feel a lot better after you get this off your chest.

Try keeping your mouth shut about any of the related topics of the secret when talking to your other friend. Also, keep reminding yourself that you would be hurt if your friend spilled your secrets, so you don't want to do that to them.

You should tell your mom what happened. You'll feel better if you get it out in the open, and your friend's mom might tell your mom anyway. If you tell her yourself, she'll be less upset than if she hears it from someone else.