A 25-Year-Old Son Brings His Girlfriend Home to Ask for Marriage, and I Fa.int When I Meet Her

I was sho.cked when I heard the news. I couldn't sleep that whole night. It’s true that I wasn't prepared for my son to get married and have chi.ldren.

I have a son who is currently in his third year of college. When he was in high school, my husband suddenly pa.ssed away. Since then, I’ve raised him alone, hoping that he would understand the struggles I went through and focus on his studies.

However, my son often worried me, especially about his relationships. When he was in his first year of college, I heard rumors that he had a girlfriend. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if they just dated, but they ended up living together.

I’ve always valued traditional principles, so when I heard about this, I immediately opposed it. My son could marry a woman from a less privileged background, but I strongly opposed him being with a woman who was too easygoing. In my view, living together before marriage was unacceptable. But my son was very stubborn. At first, he didn’t listen to me. Eventually, I heard from his friend that they were still living together. So, I went to his dormitory to confront him. Fortunately, my son finally ended the relationship.

That time, I went to my son's boarding house to clarify the love affair. (Illustration photo)

After that, he didn’t dare tell me about any of his relationships. Whenever I asked, he would sigh and say, "I’m grown up now, not a child anymore. You don’t need to ask me about my love life. I know how to handle it. When I meet the right person, I’ll bring them home to introduce to you."

As a mother, I was still uneasy, especially recently when my son didn’t visit home as often as before. Although he said it was due to his busy work schedule, I suspected that he might be starting a new relationship and didn’t have time for me. Normally, no matter how busy he was, he would still come home on weekends.

Then, just the other day, my son came home and told me he had a girlfriend. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "But there’s something I haven’t told you. We’re having a baby, and the pregnancy is already three months along. I was afraid you wouldn’t approve, so I kept it to myself. But I think it’s time for you to know."

I was really shocked by the news. That night, I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t prepared for my son to get married and have a chi.ld. But when I thought about other families who got married but didn’t have children, I felt that maybe this could be acceptable. Besides, my son has a stable job, and getting married now seemed reasonable. It was just a bit too rushed.

Yesterday, my son brought his girlfriend home to meet me. Before they came, he told me not to make her feel bad. I thought maybe he was worried because I’m a bit strict. I never expected him to bring home a woman who was the same age as me. When I asked, she said she was already 45 years old. At first, I thought she was his girlfriend's mother. But when my son introduced her as his girlfriend, I fai.nted on the spot. When I woke up, she had already left. It turned out she was my son’s landlord. She had been married twice before, and her eldest chi.ld was already married. I still don’t understand how my son ended up with her.

I was sho.cked when I heard that my son's girlfriend was pre.gnant. (Illustration photo)

Honestly, I haven’t talked to my son about this yet. I know that love has no age limit, but a 20-year age gap is too much. How can I accept this? My son says if I don’t approve, he will leave. So, I’m really stru.ggling. I need some advice from others.