Our parents always want the best for us, which is why they are so particular about the people we date. All they want to do is make sure that we are choosing the right life partners for ourselves. Yes, sometimes that only becomes obvious when they are stern or judgmental about the one you love, even if you know they mean well. Either way, we understand that you are scared to introduce a boyfriend to your parents or bring your girlfriend over for Thanksgiving dinner for the first time to meet your family. But we can cover that for you. How to introduce your boyfriend to your parents? How to make sure your mother doesn’t sneer at your girlfriend when you introduce her? Read on for some tips from 5 real-life instances and learn how to introduce your SO to your parents.
5 Tips To Introduce Your Boyfriend/Girlfriend To Your Parents
There are ways you can prepare the ground to tell your parents that you are seeing someone and that you are serious about the relationship. Yes, it can be nerve wracking to introduce your partner to your parents, but don’t assume beforehand that it won’t go smoothly. It certainly can go well if you use these tips we have curated from people’s actual experiences. Here are five real-life instances to inspire you, if you’re wondering how to break the news to your parents.
1. A little praise goes a long way
Nancy, 24, a social media strategist, always made sure that she praised her boyfriend, when speaking about him to her parents. “We never know what’s in store for the future. So I always tried to build a somewhat positive image of my boyfriend. That does not mean I never bad-mouthed him. But yes, I made sure to give him his due praise” grins Nancy. Saying, ‘Oh! He just got a promotion at his new job’ or telling them about how kind he is to his family – pepper these anecdotes when discussing your SO with your parents. Take it from Nancy, for she is now engaged to be married.
2. A crash course on your parents never hurts
“I prepared my partner really well on the likes and dislikes of my parents. I also gave him pointers on how they react to certain situations. Trust me, a crash course might seem tedious but it does not hurt. In fact, we even decided to do a little role play to prepare him well. The day before they formally met, I took the help of my friends. They acted as my parents. You could say we had my girlfriend do a proper rehearsal before they met! ” laughs 30-year-old editor Sam. When reminiscing about bringing a girlfriend home to meet the parents, Sam is full of mirth and laughter. He says he was terrified of how it would go because his mother is very particular when judging his partners. Luckily, the crash course helped his girlfriend. He has been happily married for some years now.
3. Be careful of the family situation
When should you introduce your girlfriend to your parents? When they’re in a fabulous mood. Peter, 25, a journalist, was very careful of the timing when he introduced his girlfriend to his mother. He introduced her at a time when everything was conducive in the family to ensure they would actually be receptive to her presence, at the very least.
Keeping their family values intact, they were in the right frame of mind to learn about a new woman who would be entering all their lives. There were no problems or arguments going on at home that could jeopardize their relationship or put pressure on his parents.
Peter really struck the perfect timing and introduced her to them only when they were absolutely happy and content. Not only that, he took care of his mother’s mood beforehand too by gifting her a beautiful pair of earrings a few days beforehand. He had completely planned every second of how to introduce your partner to your parents. Be like Peter!
4. Find a middle ground
“I knew my mother would like her, if they had common hobbies. So, the first time I took my girlfriend to meet my mother, it was at a bookstore. I never really worried about how long should you wait to introduce your girlfriend to your parents. I was in love and that is all that mattered. “My girlfriend was looking forward to it too. And I was right – they clicked amazingly! Their next stop after the bookstore was a café. They sat there for some time and my girlfriend bonded with her mother in law over their favorite books. I can never imagine a different introduction! ” says Matthew, 30, an IT professional. Matthew knew the perfect spot to get his mother to meet his girl! Instead of bringing the girlfriend home to meet the parents, he took them out because he knew that way, they would have a lot to talk about. Well done, we must say.
5. Just drop the bomb
How to introduce your boyfriend to your strict parents? Sometimes you need to stop overthinking the details and just take the plunge. Poppy, 35, a software engineer by profession, recounts how she dropped the big bomb on her parents without any ado. She says, “I was not sure how my parents and then boyfriend (now husband) would take to each other. In any which case, it was our decision to marry. So why waste time on planning and jitters?” And rightly said, Poppy. Sometimes, a little bit of courage can go a long away. If you are especially scared to introduce a boyfriend to your parents, don’t spend each moment ruminating about it and just lay it all out there. You may be surprised at how things unfold. These are some tips that you can use to introduce your partner to your parents. If you are still fretting, well don’t! Take it from these guys. They were pretty scared too. But clearly, love and some good communication will take care of everything. Happy first meeting!
