Meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time: The Do’s and Dont’s.
Meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time can be quite a daunting prospect. Say or do the wrong thing and you could well end up having your ass kicked to the curb by her father.
Make a good impression and your girlfriend will most likely be prepared to take the relationship to the next level.
To help you give you an idea of how to behave when meeting your partner’s parents here are a number of do’s and don’ts.
DO:
– Shave, brush your teeth, clean your nails and use deodorant. Looking and smelling like a homeless person isn’t going to win you any brownie points with her old’s.
– Dress in an appropriate manner. You don’t need to be wearing the latest from fancy labels such as Gucci or Armani but you do need to look presentable. Nice jeans, shirt and clean shoes will suffice.
– Ask your girlfriend before the meeting what sort of things her parents are into and then try and incorporate that into the conversation. Her parents are likely to warm to you quicker if they see that you share some of their interests.
– Greet her mother with a nice hug and her father with a friendly but firm handshake. Her mum wants to see your caring side while her dad wants to know that you are strong enough to protect his little girl.
– Be honest when answering any questions. Parents can spot a liar a mile away.
– Offer to help clean the dishes if the first meeting with the parents is at their home for tea or if you are going out to dinner offer to pay for the meal. Such acts show that you are a considerate individual.
DON’T:
– Drink too much alcohol. Chances are that you will end up saying something that you will regret big time later on.
– Be inappropriate when showing affection towards your girlfriend. Grabbing her on the bum, making out or nibbling on her ear may be okay when your out clubbing but it won’t go over well with her parents – especially her dad.
– Be overly familiar. Calling her parents by their first names can be seen as being somewhat disrespectful.
– Converse about politics or religion. Things can become very heated very quickly if you have differing viewpoints on the aforementioned topics.
– Be an ass-kisser. Parents will assume that you have a hidden agenda if you are too nice.
– Take it as an attack on you when her parents bombard you with questions such as; “What do you do?” and “What are your goals for the future?”. They are just looking out for their daughter’s best interests.
You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Put the aforementioned advice into practice and you will ensure that the initial impression you make on her parents will be memorable for all the right reasons.
