Meeting Your Significant Other’s Family: Home for the Holidays

You just got to know your partner and finally feel secure in your relationship. But before you know it, another major relationship hurdle appears: meeting the parents. You want to make a good impression and show them why your partner chose to be with you, but how? Your own family gatherings are awkward enough. How can you make a good impression on your partner’s family?

1. Be a polite guest. Whether you’re just visiting for a Thanksgiving meal or staying for a few days, make sure you are a respectful and polite guest. Offer to help prepare and set the table, as well as clean up after. Showing that you are willing to offer a hand goes a long way.

2. Get to know the entire family. Has your partner been talking non-stop about that video game they love to play with their brother? Or do they compare every meal they eat to their mom’s home cooking? Invest in getting to know your partner’s entire family. Talk to their siblings as well as their parents. Invest your time into bonding with these individuals, as these relationships could be important as your relationship progresses. Remember, if this relationship is serious, these could be your future family members. Getting to know them and forming a bond could make a future marriage smoother.

3. Ask your partner questions before you arrive. Every family has its little inside jokes as well as their sensitive topics. Talk to your partner about what some of their family’s favorite and most controversial topics are. That way, you will feel more included when the family is joking about seemingly mundane things. You will also know what topics to avoid so you can avoid awkward conversation.

4. Thank them before you leave. Regardless of how your time with your partner’s family goes, make sure to give them heartfelt thanks at the end of your stay. They shared their family with you and, hopefully, welcomed you in. Thanking them will solidify their good impression of you.

Meeting the parents is arguably one of the most difficult and terrifying parts of a dating relationship. Though there is no correct way to get your foot in the door, following the suggestions above can make a favorable impression on your potential in-laws. Like always, the number one rule is to relax and have fun. The best impression you can make is the one that is the most realistically you.

Kaitlynn Toay is a Senior

English Major from

Edgeley, North Dakota