While it’s never been easy for a mother to watch her child struggle to find the perfect partner, things look set to be worse than ever in 2025.

We’ve all heard of the chaos wreaked on twentysomethings’ love lives by the rise of dating apps and social media, with swiping on a phone rather than actually talking now the norm.

Then there’s the growing ideological gap between the young men and women of Gen Z (those aged from their teens up to their late 20s), with women significantly more liberal than men, according to data from the British Election Study for 2024.

And there are added complications because, many report, it’s no longer considered acceptable to just get chatting to someone in a bar, or elsewhere, and then ask for their number. So what’s a concerned mum to do? These three mothers have taken matters into their own hands. Their New Year’s resolution is to make sure that their sons find love… with a little help from Femail.

Read on to find out why – and ask yourself, do you know just the right girl for one of these courageous young men (and their determined mothers)?

He’s shy so I tease him I’ll invite one of his female colleagues over for dinner

Caterer Holly Stacpoole, 45, is married and has three children – Luke, 23, Amelie, 18. and Joshua, nine. They live in Camberley, Surrey. She has nominated Luke for a date.

Holly says: My son Luke keeps everyone in our family grounded. He is a kind young man who will often buy me sweets and my favourite chocolates, just because.

Caterer Holly Stacpoole, 45, wants her son Luke, 23, to start dating again but says he is ‘just so shy with girls’ 

He’s very generous to his little brother, recently buying him a PlayStation 5. Luke is very observant, too. I know he has so much to give in the right relationship.

Luke knows perfectly well that I’d love him to start dating again – he’s just so shy with girls. I do tease him a bit about his non-existent love life. I even jokingly threatened to go to his workplace and ask one of his female colleagues over to dinner. He knows I’d never do it, but he did laugh.

Luke is my eldest and our bond has always been strong. He still lives at home, but has just started a full-time job he enjoys at manufacturer JCB – he’s got great prospects.

He didn’t always have an easy time as a child, but he really found himself when he got to college, forming a strong friendship group.

That’s also when he met his first long-term girlfriend. She was estranged from her mum so it was down to me to talk to them about intimacy and the contraceptive pill, since I think it’s best to be open about these things. Luke was far from mortified – I think he was grateful for my help to get past one of life’s first hurdles.

They were together for three years and she really did bring out the best in him. We were all devastated when it ended when they were almost 20.

My daughter, who’s 18, is for ever trying to encourage her brother to approach women. ‘Go on, send her a meme!’ she’ll say. Apparently, that’s the Gen Z way of saying you fancy someone.

What do I want for him? Luke needs a young woman who is quick-witted and can match his gently sarcastic humour.

As for Luke’s type, he prefers the girl-next-door look; and he’d love a woman who loves animals and wants to spend lots of time together.

But Luke would never judge someone on appearances, so the most important quality is kindness.

A word of warning, though, he isn’t suited to someone who is a bit of a princess!

Luke would never judge someone on appearances, so the most important quality is kindness

Luke says: I’ve never been on a blind date before, but I was really open to the idea when Mum suggested it.

I do put myself out there and try to meet women. I’ve asked women out, too, but nothing has come of it so far. People my age are so attached to our technology, and remote working hasn’t helped either.

As for my ideal woman, I honestly don’t know! Ideally she’d have her head screwed on, be sweet and up for having fun.

I’d rather she wasn’t too career-orientated, either. Like many of my generation, I’m committed to my career but it’s also really important to me that we have a good work-life balance and get to spend time together. I’m looking for someone with a similar approach.

As for looks, I don’t have a preference, although I’ve always had a soft spot for an English rose.

I’ve brought him up right – He’ll bring you flowers

Marci Homewood 52, is single and has two sons – Joe, 26, a special effects technician, and Nick, 25. They live in Bushey, Hertfordshire. She has nominated Joe for a date.

Marci says: Joe has been single for five years and I can’t understand why. He’s got lovely friends and a busy social circle. But on dating apps he’s been ghosted by women, while others simply don’t reply.

How to describe him? Well, I see him as an eligible bachelor. He’s 6ft with bright eyes and a lovely smile. He really does have a wicked sense of humour, but he’s also hardworking and thoughtful.

Marci Homewood 52, has nominated her son Joe, 26, a special effects technician, for a date

Joe is pretty well house-trained. I’ve raised my boys to a high standard; they don’t just help around the house, they know to bring flowers for lunch and follow up with a thank you.

He is a Marvel nerd and, in his spare time, enjoys watching superhero films at the cinema. Various members of my family work in the special effects sector of the film industry and Joe is now a special effects technician, too – he’s just finished working on the latest Mission Impossible film.

I think he’s at a tricky age for meeting a romantic partner. When he goes out clubbing, he complains he’s the oldest guy there. Yet he’s only 25, and in other places he’s the youngest.

I haven’t tried to set him up with anyone, but we did once attend a singles event together, on a river boat cruise on the Thames. It was funny both being at the same event, but perhaps it’s lucky neither of us clicked with anyone in particular that night.

At one point, a female colleague of mine developed a soft spot for Joe and used to make a beeline for him whenever he dropped me off at work – but she was two decades older than him! Thankfully, he didn’t return her interest.

I’d really like Joe to meet someone who is up for going on adventures with him. It’s important (to me) she accepts his geeky side.

Would it be wrong to say I’d rather she wasn’t lazy? One girl Joe dated worked 9-to-5, while Joe was up at 6am and not home until 8pm – yet she still expected him to cook with her when he got home from work. I saw that as a red flag.

Joe won’t change for anyone – he remains true to himself even in a relationship. His last serious romance ended a few years ago because she wanted to get married and buy a house, but Joe just wasn’t ready for that.

I think he’s ready now, though. He’s told me he would like to be a father and settle down. I wouldn’t mind being a grandma soon, either!

I don’t think he’d do well with anyone too high-maintenance, and since he’s tall I’d guess he wouldn’t go for someone short. But what do I know? As long as she’s lovely and makes Joe happy then I’ll be fine.

But I will say that we are very close, so she won’t just be taking Joe on, she’ll be taking me on, too. We have a family home in Greece and once a year go away together en masse – there were 13 of us this year – and she’d need to be up for that.

Joe admits he has been single for a long time but doesn’t know why. He has profiles on dating apps but says he hates using them and would rather meet someone the ‘old-school way’

He’s also close to his grandma and takes her out once a week to the theatre, cinema or for a spot of lunch. It was Joe’s gran who spotted this opportunity for us in the Mail, and she’ll be thrilled if it helps him meet someone special.

Joe says: Mum is definitely an extrovert, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she has resorted to publicly finding a girlfriend for me. My single status is obviously weighing on her mind more than she lets on.

I have been single for a long time and I don’t know why. I do have my profile on dating apps, but I hate using them. I’d far rather meet someone the old-school way.

I work in the film industry, which I love and which can be very cool at times. But the downside is I work crazy and unsociable hours, which hardly helps the search for love.

My ideal woman is outgoing and confident. She’s ambitious, knows what she wants out of life and, ideally, can hold her own in conversation.

As for looks, I’m open-minded. I prefer the girl-next-door look to a supermodel type. But that’s only because I don’t like fake hair, nails and lashes much. I’m very low-maintenance and I’d love the girl I meet to be that way, too.

He loves his gran and even takes the bins out for me 

Mature student Sara Collins, 55, is separated and has three children – Ella, 24, Jude, 20, and Jake, 16. They live in West Sussex. She has nominated Jude for a date.

Sara says: Jude is caring, sweet, attentive and generous – and he’s desperate for a girlfriend. (Yes, he has actually said that, and won’t disown me for saying so in the newspaper).

Mature student Sara Collins, 55, says her son Jude, 20, is caring, sweet, attentive and generous – and is desperate for a girlfriend

He works in a pub part-time, although he has talked of joining the Army. I’d love for him to meet someone, and I hoped he might find a nice girl at work. But it turns out the regulars are mostly middle-aged men and families.

Jude has so much to offer. He’s brilliant around the house: he always does the recycling and takes the bins out, a horrible job no one else wants to do.

He adores dogs, and is the dedicated dog-walker for our mixed Bichon frise-terrier cross Tilly. He gets on well with everyone and is so kind to his younger brother. He has a really calm temperament and never argues. 

My mum has always claimed not to have a favourite among her grandchildren, but that’s rubbish because her favourite is clearly Jude. She adores him and the feeling is mutual – he talks to her about everything and visits her often.

Jude was 18 when he had his first girlfriend, but he’s never brought anyone home to meet me. It seems like a totally different world to when I met his father – he just asked for my number, then called me up to ask for a date.

Jude tells me he’d never just tell a woman he fancied her or strike up conversation on a train, for example. He’d worry about being seen as too presumptuous. His biggest fear is being accused of sexual harassment simply for trying to have a friendly chat with someone.

Jude works in a pub part-time and has talked about joining the Army. He doesn’t have an ideal woman but says he would be pleased if she liked gaming

The obvious solution is dating apps and I think he’s on Bumble. But girls seem to be nastier online; Jude has been stood up and ghosted, and it seems as if some just lead him on to make themselves feel good.

One girl made plans to travel from London to Brighton for a date, but she didn’t turn up. He made the best of it, but my heart broke for him when he said he spent the day on his own, eating fish and chips on the beach.

He’s such a sweet lad, why can’t they see that?

His older sister Ella now insists on vetting any potential love interests. She even advises him how to do his hair for his profile pictures. Jude recently completed a course in video game design, and is a fiend for the game Warhammer. His hobby led to a virtual relationship (whatever that means) with one girl he met online gaming.

They saw one another on Skype every day for several months, and as things got serious, I spoke to her, too. She seemed sweet – but I was a bit confused how they could be ‘serious’ when she lived in the US and they’d never met. They ended it mutually soon after.

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Why am I taking this option to find Jude a date? I worry he doesn’t see himself as attractive, and I think the experience will be good for his confidence.

I don’t mind who he ends up being matched with; I would just love for him to meet a nice young woman to accept him for the fantastic man I know he is.

Jude says: It’s a bit strange having Mum try to matchmake for me, but my sister persuaded me it’ll be fun. And if it means meeting someone great, I’ll do it.

I think my generation are so head-down in our phones that we do find it harder to meet new people. It’s difficult to make that first move, and I’d never just ‘chat someone up’. Partly because it might be deemed inappropriate, but also because I’m cautious and would worry it wouldn’t go well.

My last relationship ended at Christmas two years ago when I found out she had cheated on me. Since then, I’ve been on a few dates with girls I’ve matched with online, but nothing more.

Mum does give me advice on dating. I don’t always take the advice, though – I check with my sister first!

I don’t have an ideal woman, but if she was a gamer I’d be beside myself with happiness. I’d just hope she’d like me for who I am.