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my parents won't allow me to date in uni

so my parents are Catholic and Asian so they've always been strict as hell but I was talking to them the other day and I brought up the topic of relationships and getting a bf and they kinda flipped out. My mum was more calm about it and told me not to go around dating while in uni cuz they think that it'll distract me from my studies and general uni life. They said that they want me to have the uni experience and have a good time of course but they both want me to start dating only after uni?? They said I should only start dating when I get a job with an alright salary? And I want to study medicine so I'm only gonna get an okay-paying job when I'm like 24/25 so that leaves me with a year or two to date and marry when I'm like 26? But then they're saying they want me to get married when I'm 25 or 26 so how the hell is that even gonna work? Also, I don't want to marry someone after dating for just a year and I've always wanted to marry late, maybe at 28 or 29 but my parents are saying that's way too late 😭. Anyway, my mum doesn't like the idea of me dating in uni but my dad is really against it. He keeps saying that it'll be a bad distraction and that I'll only be heartbroken and upset by the end of it. Even when I said that my bf could bring me closer to God my dad said that I should be the one trying to bring HIM closer to God so it's like he's not even trying to see any good in being in a relationship. They both think that I'm gonna run off with some boy or ruin my life by not focusing on my studies and I get why they may be uncertain cuz we know a lot of girls who have run off with boys and girls getting stalked and harassed by their bf's and that's ruined those girls' lives so I get why they're not too keen on it but still! I want to date and have a good time! In the end, my parents told me to 'follow my conscience' which means that I guess I could get a bf but they would 100% disapprove of him and be unhappy about him.

Reply 1

Are you moving away from the family home for uni, or will you be living at home? If the former, there's very little they can do to monitor/control what you're doing and who you're hanging out with! I appreciate (as a Catholic Asian myself) that keeping secrets from family isn't always a nice feeling, or that easy - but what they don't know can't really hurt them that much (at least until it's too late for them to do anything about it!) :nah:

Reply 2

Original post by Anonymous
so my parents are Catholic and Asian so they've always been strict as hell but I was talking to them the other day and I brought up the topic of relationships and getting a bf and they kinda flipped out. My mum was more calm about it and told me not to go around dating while in uni cuz they think that it'll distract me from my studies and general uni life. They said that they want me to have the uni experience and have a good time of course but they both want me to start dating only after uni?? They said I should only start dating when I get a job with an alright salary? And I want to study medicine so I'm only gonna get an okay-paying job when I'm like 24/25 so that leaves me with a year or two to date and marry when I'm like 26? But then they're saying they want me to get married when I'm 25 or 26 so how the hell is that even gonna work? Also, I don't want to marry someone after dating for just a year and I've always wanted to marry late, maybe at 28 or 29 but my parents are saying that's way too late 😭. Anyway, my mum doesn't like the idea of me dating in uni but my dad is really against it. He keeps saying that it'll be a bad distraction and that I'll only be heartbroken and upset by the end of it. Even when I said that my bf could bring me closer to God my dad said that I should be the one trying to bring HIM closer to God so it's like he's not even trying to see any good in being in a relationship. They both think that I'm gonna run off with some boy or ruin my life by not focusing on my studies and I get why they may be uncertain cuz we know a lot of girls who have run off with boys and girls getting stalked and harassed by their bf's and that's ruined those girls' lives so I get why they're not too keen on it but still! I want to date and have a good time! In the end, my parents told me to 'follow my conscience' which means that I guess I could get a bf but they would 100% disapprove of him and be unhappy about him.

Hmm, I guess that you are from a Filipino background. I think ,from what I know and have seen, the kind of scenario you decsribe is "common" with such Culture. I would suggest just doing things discreetly and do not rub it in your parents face, and keep good control of your relationship with boyfriend so it does not distract you. At the end of the day it is your life, unless you are happy to be under parents control until 30 ?.

Reply 3

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Are you moving away from the family home for uni, or will you be living at home? If the former, there's very little they can do to monitor/control what you're doing and who you're hanging out with! I appreciate (as a Catholic Asian myself) that keeping secrets from family isn't always a nice feeling, or that easy - but what they don't know can't really hurt them that much (at least until it's too late for them to do anything about it!) :nah:

thanks! and yeah I'll be moving away for uni

Reply 4

okay thanks! i guess I'm just kinda scared of being easily swayed by my bf (if i get one) because I've never had one before so i think I'm also slightly subconsciously scared that what my parents say will actually happen (that he will end up completely distracting me and everything like that). It's also because I'm hoping and aspiring to go to a top uni so I'll need to maintain top grades to stay there so there's also that aspect as well.

Reply 5

8f your moving away like TLG said they wont be there 24/7

But. As someone who did get a boyfriend during my last degree, i did spend much more time with him, going to his house, or him visiting me (he didnt live in my uni city) so spending time with him pushed me away from my friends at uni, as i wanted to spend as much time as i could with him while we were together, but also less time on my uni work.

You young, yes some cultures believe your passed it after a certain age, but i know so many people (im now 32) my age who got together with their partner young, married, had kuds and are now divorced because they are not the same person they were 10/15 years ago.
Christ i was engaged to my partner i met at uni, and we broke up 8 years ago and im a completely different person now to who i was then and wed be less compatible now than we were. Dont get me wrong at the time i loved him, and i dont regret getting with him when i was at uni. But i guess im saying you really shouldnt be worrying about that stuff now, especially when you arnt even at that stage yet!

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