How to Impress Your Significant Other’s Parents

There's a reason that there are so many romantic comedies centered around the concept of "meeting the parents."

While some people don't see it as a big deal to introduce their parents to their partner, others take it as a major relationship milestone—and one that carries a ton of weight. But whether your S.O. is casual about the meeting or not, making a good impression on their parents can set you up for success if things work out in the long run. Before you start stressing, relax. We're here to help guide you through it with some tips on how to impress your S.O.'s parents:

1. Dress to Impress

We don't mean that you better show up in a full tuxedo or long gown or anything, but putting in a little extra effort to wear something that is both appropriate and clean-cut can go a long way. First impressions can depend far too much on appearances in most situations, and this is just one of them. You don't have to dress like you're walking into a job interview, but making sure that you're generally put together is a good place to start.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Also read about: 4 Gift Ideas for Your New-ish Relationship

 

2. Be Yourself

Perhaps the most important tip on this list? Be yourself! Just like you wouldn't want to act completely different than the way you normally would when you were first dating your S.O. to begin with just to impress them, you wouldn't want to do that with their parents, either. While you can "be on your best behavior," so to speak, that doesn't mean you need to truly hide who you are, either. Plus, it will probably be a much more comfortable situation if you look at it like that, anyway, and the parents might just be more likely to like you when you do.

 

3. Come Prepared

Ask your partner about their parents before walking into the situation to know a bit more about what to expect from the situation. Sure, you probably should have discussed their parents at some point by now, anyway, but this scenario requires a bit more detail than the usual discussion. Ask them if there's anything in particular that their parents might appreciate a ton, whether or not you should bring a gift and if there's anything that you should avoid doing or bringing up for best results.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Also read about: 6 Things You Should NEVER Do When Introducing Your S.O. to Your Parents

 

4. Show Genuine Appreciation

When you're in the actual moment, do things like ask meaningful questions (about the parents' interests, not just your partner's), say please and thank you, act generally polite and see if there's anything you can help with. Not only does this give you major brownie points with them, but it might just impress your S.O. at the same time! At the end especially, show genuine appreciation for the invite and time that you had. The little things have major weight in this situation overall, so step up where you can.

(via Shutterstock)

 

Overall, there's no reason to sweat about meeting your partner's parents for the first time. Your S.O. might be more nervous about it than you are—or they might not be stressing at all—but all in all, it will work out the way it should (especially if you follow the tips above).

And if you pass the first meeting and make it far enough to go on vacation with your partner's family? We've got tips for you there, too. Click HERE to read about what to expect in that situation.