Both my friends came back to their hometown without their wives; that's not normal, right?

I met up with my friends who came down to visit. One got married last year and doesn't have kids yet, and the other has a child who just passed their first birthday.
Both said they came to their hometown alone because their wives didn't want to come, and apparently, their parents are feeling quite disappointed. They said if they kept insisting the wives come, it would just lead to fights, so they just came as they were.