Do you regret your marriage? Yes, quite often; more so since I got pregnant. That was after 1.5 years of marriage. Our son is 14 months old now.
Why? Because we are two people poles apart. We have no common goals or shared interests in life. I would blame that on the ‘180 degrees apart family culture’ we come from. Now that’s the interesting part. We come from similar financial and cultural background, happily arranged-married in the same caste and state. Both of us work in IT industry, make sufficient money. Then what is the difference and issue?
My husband’s father was (is) a strict disciplinarian who made every family decision. The children went back to their rooms when they heard his voice (back from office) in the evening. He didn’t like his wife (my MIL) going out of house in his absence unless really required. Vacation meant visiting close relatives in village. No hill stations or beaches. That happens to other people or is just fiction.
My sister and I waited for our father to come back so we could share our daylong theatrics in school and with mom. My mother was vocal about her thoughts and impossible to be tamed. She was free to have her own social circle and go out as she desired. Plus she was a good homemaker, just like my MIL.
My family could hardly afford exotic vacations yet my parents tried hard to take a family vacation (apart from our village trips) every year. We socialized and had family friends (waste of time for my in-laws). Children could express opinion, disagree or fight back to parents (unimaginable at my in-laws).
Till the euphoria of our marriage continued (~1 year), my husband liked taking me out, have weekend fun etc. Since I got pregnant, our household became mirror image of his parents’ household of 3 decades ago, in a small town with limited financial freedom. Except I am not under house arrest like his mother. Thing is, I like going out. So his solution is – go wherever you want, whenever you want, with whosoever you want (not men, of course). Just don’t disturb me.
And it’s becoming more extreme with time. We only leave this city to visit his parents where I am supposed to dress and act like DIL – all covered from everyone (including and more importantly from neighbors) and docile. So I feel that’s like board exams for me; just get it done with and come back. Office is more fun. While in this city, weekends are meant to sleep away. I should go out alone to malls/movies/wherever.
I regret getting married in a family with extremely controlled environment, to a man who is its product in-and-out. I dread when his parents come to visit us because the freedom to at-least go out alone is also snatched then (~1–2 months/year). Plus stay covered and docile.
Source: Quora (anonymous contributer)