My Son Spent Years Searching for the Right Woman to Marry—At 30, He Finally Found His Perfect Match in Alice. I Supported His Choice, but Now Their Marriage Is Falling Apart, and I’m Not Sure If I Made Things Worse by Urging Him to Leave Almost every day, I heard about how lovely and beautiful Alice was. My son was truly smitten with her, and I liked her too. He passionately told me and his friends about her wonderful qualities—she seemed to be the perfect woman for him, so he married her without hesitation. As a loving mum, I fully supported his choice. Planning a wedding can be a real challenge, but my friends were absolute stars. The bride’s parents were delightful, and we got on famously from the start. At first, everything was perfect, but over time, things began to change. Their marriage started falling apart, and arguments became more frequent. I knew it was only their first year of marriage and hoped things would improve, but I worried about them—I just wanted them to be happy together. One evening really shook me. Late at night, my son arrived at my door with his things, saying he had nowhere else to go because Alice had kicked him out. He spent a few days with me, and Alice never came round to try to work things out. This happened again and again. When my daughter-in-law told me she was pregnant, I decided it was time for a chat with them. I just wanted to offer some advice to help them avoid misunderstandings in the future. It only made things worse. Their arguments became even more frequent, and my son stayed over at my place more often. I could see he was struggling—he wasn’t the happy man he used to be; there was disappointment in his eyes. I couldn’t stand seeing my son so unhappy in his marriage. I suggested he think carefully about whether it was worth staying together. He could still be a wonderful father even if he lived apart. Soon after, he filed for divorce. Not long after, Alice came to me for help, asking me to persuade my son to withdraw the divorce papers—she didn’t want the family to fall apart. I’d already advised her more than once to focus on her marriage. Now I’m accused of interfering in their relationship. I don’t know if I did the right thing by urging my son to divorce. His wife doesn’t like me, and he’s grown more distant from me as well. But maybe they still love each other? Living apart feels wrong, but living together isn’t working out either.

My son spent years searching for the right woman to marry, and I never questioned his choices. Finally, when he turned thirty, he met Emily, whom he thought was absolutely perfect for him.

Almost every day, Id hear about how kind and beautiful she was. My son was truly head over heels for her. I must admit, I liked Emily as well. With great enthusiasm, he would tell me and all his friends about her wonderful qualitiesshe seemed to him the ideal partner, so he didnt hesitate to marry her quickly. As a caring father, I fully supported his decision.

Organising the wedding was quite a challenge, but my friends really stepped up. The brides parents were delightful, and we got along splendidly from the start. In the beginning, everything felt wonderful, but with time, things began to change. Their marriage started to crumble, and misunderstandings grew more frequent. I knew it was only the first year of their marriage and hoped theyd work things out, but I couldnt help but worry about them. I wanted nothing more than for their marriage to be happy and successful.

One evening truly rattled me. Late at night, my son showed up at my door carrying his things. He told me he had nowhere to go because his wife had kicked him out. He stayed with me for several days, and not once did Emily come by to try to sort things out. This pattern repeated itself again and again.

When my daughter-in-law told me she was expecting a baby, I decided I should speak with them. I hoped I could share some advice that might prevent further misunderstandings. Instead, it seemed I only made things worse. Arguments between them became more and more frequent, and my son started spending even more nights at mine. I knew he was struggling. He was no longer the happy man he used to be; there was a clear look of disappointment in his eyes.

I couldnt bear to see my son trapped in such an unhappy marriage, so I advised him to really consider if it was worth continuing. He could still be a wonderful father, even if they lived apart. In the end, he agreedsoon after, he filed for divorce.

Not long after, Emily came to me asking for help. She wanted me to persuade my son to drop the divorce proceedings, insisting she didnt want to break up the family. More than once, Id suggested she focus on taking care of her family. Now, she accused me of encouraging the split, and before I knew it, I was being blamed publicly for interfering.

I often wonder if I did the right thing by urging my son to leave. His wife can barely stand me now, and even he has grown distant. Maybe they still love each other deep down? Living apart isnt ideal, but staying together wasnt good either. In the end, Ive realised that sometimes, even with the best intentions, trying to help can ultimately push those you love further away, and some problems are theirs alone to solve.