Response to “Is Arranged Marriage Really Any Worse Than Craigslist?”

Like the author of this essay, I do not think arranged marriages are entirely undesirable. I come from a close-knit, traditional Italian family. My parents allowed me to date whoever I wanted, but ultimately, they were never happy with my choices. To them, my boyfriends were never good enough for me. There was always some fatal flaw that they could immediately pick up on that I was unaware of or refused to believe. Of course, I always though they were being closed-minded or too judgmental. What was surprising, however, was that my parents were always right about every guy. In the end, I always got hurt and would realize who these guys really were: losers. After one particularly long and painful relationship, I decided that I had had enough. I told my parents that I was never going to date anyone again unless they had hand chosen him for me. After all, they had always been able to see what I could not in my choices of men and had always been correct in their evaluations. A month later, my mom introduced me to a guy who was the son of a friend of hers from high school. I never believed in love at first sight until that day when I met Steven. We were incredibly perfect for each other in every way. Later, we found out that our mothers had pre-arranged the whole thing together. To make a long story short, we recently got engaged in Paris at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I never thought I could be so happy with someone my parents decided on for me. So, I have found there must be some truth to the saying, “Mother knows best.”