From Boys to Men: Meeting the Parents
By Justin Weller, Writer
March 23, 2010
Filed under Fun Stuff
First off, I want to warn everybody that this is not a universal way to meet your girlfriend’s parents for the first time. This is merely what has worked for me in the past, and it seems to work pretty well.
Throughout my life I have been pretty popular with my parent’s friends, who are usually about the same age as them. They would be about the same age as your girlfriend’s parents, depending on her age. If you are not typically one to hang out with older people then this is a great warning and tip for you.
The most important thing when meeting the parents is being polite. It may sound like something that people wouldn’t forget but you would be surprised how many people fail to do so. I watch people in their day to day basis and I notice people not being polite to each other. The big thing I noticed is people calling older people with their first names. I was brought up to address older people by Mr. or Mrs. It is a very important factor to do so. If I only know the first name of a person I will still add Mr. or Mrs. to their name. And when you are introducing yourself make sure you give a great handshake.
Once you have gotten the introductions over with the next step is to show them that you are taking good care of their daughter. If you can, try to open the door for all of them and try not to be all over their little girl. Try to only speak when you’re spoken to. I am generally quiet until I am asked a question and when I respond I make sure to enunciate clearly. Enunciation makes it sound like you’re intelligible even if you are giving short answers. My trick is to keep quiet and speak only when spoken to. There are times when I interject my own thought on a subject that is being discussed but I keep them short and sweet. This makes you look like the quiet and intelligent type. It may not be an accurate view of you, but to them that is how you will come off.
The same goes when you are trying to make a joke. Everybody likes someone with a sense of humor. Parents are the same way. Don’t forget that they are people too, just older than us. But don’t try to overdo it. It goes back to the earlier thing. Tell the joke when it is appropriate but do not string a ton of jokes together. When you get a good reaction from a joke then you should probably stop there. If you tell a funny joke and then stop, then they will remember the only the fact that you said something funny. So through association, you will be thought of as a funny person.
I recently met a family that was important to my girlfriend’s life. I employed these tactics during the dinner and when I asked her what they thought they apparently liked me and thought I was funny. I have gotten generally the same results through most people that I meet. Most older people like talking and I like to let them do what they want. Make sure that you stay polite and speak clearly. It’s all it would take to give a great first impression.
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