My mum - who unlike many Egyptian mothers does not care that I’m 22 and single – recently asked me if I would like to “meet” the son of one of her friends.
Apparently, the guy’s parents were on the hunt for a wife. My answer was a scowl the size of Africa and I was surprised that the woman who raised me to be a no-bullshit, independent woman would make such an offer.
“Yasmine, I didn’t say marry him or even date him, I said meet him”, she said in exasperation.
“Yes mum, but why on earth would a 25-year-old man get his parents to find him a wife? Something must be seriously wrong with his social life.”
She dropped the conversation. Hmm, I thought to myself, did this guy actually ask his parents for this, or are they volunteering to put an end to his bachelorhood?
Growing up, I was always surrounded by negative attitudes on being set up on dates by your folks.
My parents for one, never sought that path because they believed in their children’s’ independent ability to find what is right for them in life. And yet that afternoon when my mum made her unusual offer, she prompted me to ask several questions.
First of all, why do many of us have such a negative attitude towards meeting guys through our folks? Continue reading
