Because of mom, I don't have a husband yet.

At 38 years old, I still go back and forth alone, living with my mother. One of the reasons I am still single at this age is because of my mother. The economy of both mother and son is not lacking in anything, if not to say quite well-off. But why because of my mother?

My first love after graduating from university, my mother said I was still a child, should get a job, I just graduated and didn't have a husband or children. At that time, I didn't dare to argue, partly because I was still financially dependent on my mother since I didn't have a job yet.

My second lover, we were quite compatible and I decided to introduce him to my family after nearly two years of dating. The first time we met, my mother looked at me, started a few conversations, then made an excuse to go into the room. I felt something was wrong!

When he came back, Mom asked if he had run out of girlfriends or why he was dating a dark, dirty looking guy. No matter what I said, Mom still said, "Find someone with a bit of dignity" and didn't say anything more.

The meals that followed were rather quiet. Partly because I didn't know what to say to her next, and partly because I could see her displeasure growing more and more obvious.

He came to visit a few more times, when he said hello, Mom nodded and went into her room without talking. After that, I got to know two more people, one of whom even planned to marry, but Mom still didn't approve. She didn't say why, she just said "not pleasing to the eye". I didn't bother arguing anymore, and I've been single until now.

Sometimes I feel lonely, but I really don't have the confidence to date anyone else. Almost no one pleases my mother. As the years go by, I get bored and don't want to love anymore. Because somehow my mother will find this and that not to her liking.

DIEM THUY (Dong Nai)

When you want, you always have a way.

I agree that the idea that "God created elephants and God created grass" is no longer meaningful nowadays, especially in the context of a stressful and competitive social life. But that doesn't mean we should be so afraid of falling in love or getting married.

The problem lies in each person's perspective and choice, I think. Because if they really want to do something, they will not make excuses but always find a way to solve it. The same goes for getting married. When they still give this reason or that reason, it is simply because they do not really want it or do not want it yet.

Is it because we are so focused on the pressure and afraid of facing difficulties that everyone puts love and marriage aside? I still think this number is not too big. It is true that the age of marriage and childbirth is probably higher than before, but I still believe that when meeting the right person to be our life partner, everyone wants to have a happy and fulfilling life with that person without using this or that reason to delay marriage.

Furthermore, if you truly love each other and want to live together, I believe that both of you will know how to care for each other, love each other and find solutions to the problems you encounter. Anything else or anyone citing any reason is actually just avoidance, not really knowing how to plan for their lives.

H. GIANG (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City)

I'm single, doing great right now

The Government's program to adjust birth rates to suit regions and groups by 2030, which encourages marriage before the age of 30, has been discussed recently on forums, although it was launched nearly 4 years ago.