Sister approached by a lady at the gym

[Ravi]

Today at my sister's women‑only gym, a middle‑aged lady stopped her and started asking her age. After that she went on about whether my sister was married or looking for a match. The lady had never met my sister before but kept probing personal stuff. When my sister said she wasn't interested in marriage, the lady was shocked and said, "Shaadi toh karni hi padhti hai". She then lectured about how marriage is tough in the beginning, how she herself wasn't allowed to talk to anyone or even go for a walk for the first five years, and now she's finally at the gym. It's bizarre that she treats this as normal. I feel we need real change in society – we must educate people like her because they raise the next generation and can become controlling mother‑in‑laws.

p.s. I wasn't sure which tag to use, so I chose this one.

[Amitabh]

Wow, that sounds really disturbing.

[Kiran]

She might be a marriage broker or just looking for a bride for someone she knows.

[Charu]

So she basically wanted a slave.

[Saloni]

At a wedding, a woman suddenly approached my cousin and tried to set her up with her son. Then she started saying that the future daughter‑in‑law should live with her for the first few years, take care of her, while her son works elsewhere. She even claimed that anyone interested in marrying her son should first meet her, not the son, because the daughter‑in‑law is supposed to look after her. I was stunned when my cousin told me this – the nerve of that woman, asking for a servant‑like daughter‑in‑law.

[Tejas]

Tell your sister to avoid chatting with strangers.

[Riya]

Your sister could have replied, "Married with YOU?" lol

[Radhika]

Even educated people hold these beliefs. We need to break this mentality through awareness, logic and education. My mother is a government teacher with a postgraduate degree, yet she still believes in all this nonsense.

[Rajat]

The shift will happen over generations. Eventually these aunties and uncles will pass on, hopefully taking their toxic mindset with them. That's why it's crucial to raise our children better than the previous generation did. When I think about my own kids, I focus not on what they should be as children but on the kind of adults they'll become. We need to teach them to act independently, not rely on a husband or mother‑in‑law for protection. Raising kids – especially sons – with the right values is the only way to break these harmful cycles.

[Arpita]

When I first saw the title, I imagined the auntie asking your sister out on a date, not dumping useless life advice.

[Michael]

Allowed

I recall my ex telling me his family would let me wear leggings or loose trousers under long suits, even in front of the elder men. Reading this while sitting in my shorts with my legs open felt quite shocking.