26 F and prepping for UPSC, so marriage isn’t on the cards anytime soon. My dad has never said anything to me about getting married and all he cares about is my being able to crack the exam. I’ve heard him speak on the phone to people who ask him about it, and he straight up tells them that he doesn’t care. Most people never ask again after that response.

A couple years ago, I explained to my mom why marriage isn’t a good idea for me. My aims in life are far from marriage, most of them revolving around immense personal, intellectual, and experiential growth. While some of them are compatible with marriage, most aren’t. I was legit shocked that my mom understood. Now she herself tells me that she doesn’t know any women who reached their full potential by marrying early or marrying at all. She has told me she’s totally fine if I never marry. She just wants me to achieve my lofty goals lol.

Both my parents shut down any relatives or friends who try to be pushy about it, so I haven’t had to deal with any unwanted comments. I know this comes from a very privileged place, but sometimes we underestimate how much our parents can or are willing to understand us. Please make a solid effort at explaining how marriage would affect you and why you may or may not want to do it. Wishing you luck and I hope they understand.