Meeting the Parents
 

Awkward situation, and I figured I'd take it to the varied and interesting rabble here at NPF. Warning romantic foolishness ahead.
The quick and dirty is that a girl I'm seeing's mother is apparently a bit overprotective, and I need to, sometime soon, have a talk with her to convince her I'm not up to any shady business. I'm really digging her and the parental interferance is putting a serious damper on the progress of our reationship. Now I can play "Fine upstanding young man" as well as the next guy, so any further advice you guys would be willing to give?

Keep it low-key. Have answers for any awkward questions thought out, but don't really rehearse them; rehearsed responses set off warning bells. If you're going to stretch the truth, be sure to discuss it with your ladyfriend and make sure you're on the same page.

Make sure you're respectful, and make sure you know how you're going to respond if it doesn't go your way.

My girlfriend's mom is the same way, though I think she's finally coming to realize that prolonged periods of dating are relatively normal here, and that there's an intermediary step between a friend and a fiancé.

Make sure you don't get called by friends on drugs during the meeting. And if you're going to compliment, say, their house, watch out so you don't say "What a nice cock you have". Freudian slips in general are not your friends.

As long as you're not actually up to any illegal business (or can hide it competently if you are) and don't act obviously crazy, you should be fine.

Alternately the parents could be totally crazy, and you might need to be prepared to deal with that in the long term if you think this girl is worth it.

Wear a hat. There are plenty of people I know who are mighty scruffy but are transformed into fine young gentleman by the mere act of donning a suitable Wellington.

But really just be yourself and don't worry about it. It's not worth it in the long run to pretend to be someone you are not as eventually it will catch up with you.

That is mighty mean, 'cause if he's gonna read that, you're sure it's going to stick in his mind when the talk is coming up.

I guess it depends on age group, but I never really cared what parents thought of me, I'm dating the girl, not her parents.

I would probably be a bit put off by being forced to meet a girls parents actually. I mean,if she's so insular and unable to act of her own accord, that's her problem. I never needed parental approval to do anything in my adult life, and I suspect most well adjusted people would be similar. Parents aren't there to dictate your life, they did their job when you were 7, it's all up to you now.

but yeah, if you're actually interested in meeting the parents go for it, just be you, no need to be overly respectful or what have you, unless you consider yourself a child still, in which case I don't think it's important anyways, childish relationships tend to run their course and we all learn our lessons somewhere along the way.

I'm nineteen, she's eighteen she's still in high school her mom has a signifigant effect on her life so.... but yeah, If I was in my twenties and this was a problem, I'd be more pissed than nervous
thats how SHE says it but having a crazy-ass single mom, who comes from a crazy-ass family, who's path and cause of craziness is almost rediculously obvious(I know why they're crazy and how, and anyone who looked at the evidence would probably agree) Im prepared for crazy, just not what seems like direct opposition
knew I should'nt have come here

meh, you guys are old enough to make your own damn decisions. If she thinks its important to meet the parents and you agree, just be like "hey, I'm Joey Normalguy, I'm dating your daughter, I think she's the bees knees. You guys don't seem like axe murderers so that's cool, if you have any more prying questions, direct them at your daughter, because she's the one that's currently related to you. peace"

unless they do seem like axe murderers, in which case substituting the line "wow, you guys seem more like axe murderer's than Susie Normalgirl led me to believe." in there somewhere might be appropriate.

Just be yourself. Worked for me. Actually, when I was trying to date the last girl I was interested in, it turned out her family liked me more than she did. :sweatdrop