Strawberry Letter: Am I Making A Huge Mistake?

I’m 25 years old and I have accomplished a lot for my age. I have a Masters from a top university, I have my own business and overall, I’m a very sweet girl with morals. However, one thing that my mother doesn’t like about me are the choices I make in men. In the past I have dated men who were in gangs, were broke, not doing anything with themselves. My mother doesn’t understand why I choose the men I do, she wants me to find a man on her level, but honestly, its hard to find a decent man. They usually prefer other races or if they do have a college degree and a decent job, they are usually extremely stuck up and expect me to kiss the ground they walk on. Trust me, I have met men on my campus, but they know because of their resume they have a flock of women chasing after them, so it never works out because of their egos. I’m currently dating a man that my mother is not fond of. He’s been to jail, has a felony and he’s a sex offender. I asked him every question imaginable regarding his sex offender status and I believe that he’s innocent, especially since he’s shown me the details of his case. Everyone in his life has given me no reason to not believe he’s the good man he’s shown me to be. Even his parole officer loves him and always praises him and gives him a lot of rope because he’s very responsible and honest. And even though he has a felony, he’s very hardworking and currently works two jobs. He even cooks for me from time to time and I know that he loves me with all his heart, just as I love him. My mother though is not happy. She doesn’t care if he’s a nice guy or that he works hard. And she also doesn’t like the fact that he has a son. She feels not only should I date a man on my level, but also since I don’t have children, I shouldn’t date a man that does. I’m very conflicted. I’ve never met any man that has treated me with so much respect or that loves me as much as he does. Currently we are talking about marriage (we’ve been together for two years) and of course my mother does not agree. On one hand I feel like I shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks and I should just follow my heart and be happy. On the other hand, I hear my Mothers voice in my head, constantly, telling me that I’m going to make the biggest mistake of my life. What should I do?