Introducing each other to your parents means that you are seriously taking things to the next level. Meeting your new bae’s parents is hella scary. And you only get one first impression so there’s a lot of pressure to make it a good one. To avoid things going Greg Focker in Meet The Parents kind of bad, follow these quick tips.
#1 The Handshake / Cheek Kiss Situation
By rule of thumb, you should always shake your partner’s father’s hand and give their a mother a kiss on the cheek. Unless you’re a woman, then you should go for a cheek kiss with both parents.
#2 Bring A Bottle Of Wine
If you’re meeting them over lunch or dinner. It’s just a polite and thoughtful gesture that will show you have good old fashioned manners.
#3 Be Super Polite
Show off all your good manners. Don’t swear or talk badly about anyone. Eat with your mouth closed, dress appropriately. Offer to take your shoes off. You know, all the basic stuff.
#3 Ask Questions
Avoid making everything about yourself. Ask your partner’s parents heaps of questions. Asking about their love story is always a good one. Or if you’re stuck you can always ask them questions about your partner, e.g. what were they like as a child?
#4 Offer To Help
Offer to help with cooking or cleaning up.
#5 Connect With The Pet
People love people who go out of their way to connect with their pets. If the dog seems to like you, the parents probably will as well. Talking about pets is also the easiest topic of conversation.
#6 Avoid Talking About Politics
Or just avoid talking about controversial topics in general. If you think christianity is stupid, now is really not the time to bring it up. Stick to talking about their dog!
#7 Don’t Rely On Your Partner To Do The Talking
This one is a huge no, no. You need to immediately speak for yourself and be confident. If you just keep smiling and nodding and staring at your partner during conversation, it will not make a good impression. Even if you’re shy, just fake it ’til you make it.
#8 Do Your Research
Ask your bae what his or her parents do for a living and what their interests are ahead of time. That way you can tell your partner’s Dad about that hilarious thing that happened on the golf course last month, because you secretly know he loves golfing. Sneaky, sneaky…
#9 Smile
You want to look super friendly and approachable. You don’t want to look bitchy and uptight. Or even worse, bored.
#10 Shake It Off
The bottom line is, this is probably going to be a way bigger deal to you than it is to them. They are probably going to be way less stressed about the meeting than you are. If they don’t seem like they immediately love you, it’s not the end of the world, give it time. If they seem more excited about seeing your partner than you, remember that’s probably just because they want to spend time with their child. Just be relaxed, and try not to overthink the situation.
Image Sources: GIPHY, Universal Pictures
