Good impression on parents...

[YellowTaxi]

I'm going to be in the situation soon when I will be meeting my best friend's family - mum, two teenage sisters, brother and possibly dad,

I am so nervous! I have met his mum before and she's really nice, and I think she likes me enough, but I've never met the others before. I will probably have to approach them as a group, as it is at a celebratory party. I don't have a CLUE what to say, and I'm so worried that I'll make it awkward!

I have never been in the situation of meeting so many different people of different ages in the exact same circle. I really want them to like me.

Any advice from people who have been in a similar situation?

[homedeeth]

wear a smile and don't look miserable. speak when spoken too and don't give one word mono syllabic answers. don't try and be over funny or show them your party piece of necking a pint of lager in a second. oh yeah, don't get drunk.
just be polite, well mannered and courteous and then you will be remembered in a good light. simples!

[4getmenot]

if you have to change or ask how to ask to get them to like you a bit better then they are not worth it, be yourself. Act as you would meeting anyone inm oublic, its only your best mates family. Think how you'll be when you have to meet your partners family

[4getmenot]

oops in public :-)

[MWB]

Just be yourself.

[4getmenot]

I hope you are joking because if I was meeting someone and they did that I;d think what a Tw@t

[4getmenot]

dont really take notice of usernames, take everyone as they come

[4getmenot]

my dear???? Now you are taking the peace

[andy-hughes]

The first advice is the best.

Remember, they are not there to judge you, and what ever you may think, they are not adding up impressions of you to compare notes later.

Be polite of course, and ask a few basic questions of the adults - jobs, homes, etc. and keep the conversation nice and light.

You are not there to be the entertainment for the night, so don't feel obliged to keep the witty banter flowing. If everything is going OK, sit back and enjoy yourself.

You'll be fine, promise!

[sqad617]

Yellow.....great advice by andy....as usual...BUT.....

Knowing families and human reactions, believe me they may not be there to judge you, but they will and you will be the topic of discussion and comment. The British public LOVE a post mortem and you will be no exception.

It is a normal experience and a learning curve.

[sqad617]

Yellow....just had another thought. Very few people on presentation to someone new behaves NORMALLY" by that I mean the way they really are in a routine everyday situation.

Take me for instance, on first meeting I come over as a bombastic, confrontational, knowall extrovert but in actual fact...........................................that is me!

Nobody acts normally.......not even you.

[sqad617]

Yellow...a liitle story to cheer you up.

I was invited to a girls home to meet her parents.
I took a 2hour train ride and then took a taxi to her home to be met by her mother and father. I had asked the taxi driver for his business card so that I could use him for the return journey.

We all four sat down for tea and cakes and the girl's father asked me which taxi service I had used.
I couldn't remember the name so I put my hand in my inside coat pocket for the card and inadvertently a a packet of condoms fell to the floor.

Best of luck

[YellowTaxi]

sqad, that is absolutely hilarious!!

Thank you for the answers, great advice and I will definitely use it.

[Eve]

Just be yourself, think of the long run, if the relationship is long term then there's no point making yourself out to be something else.

When I first met one ex's parents I was trying to be polite and eat what I was given which was a salad with fruit in it and a wierd dressing, I hate fruit in salad (to me it's just wrong haha). Obviously it didn't occur to me that I then couldn't later admit I didn't like it and look stupid so had to stomach quite a bit more haha :)

Meeting another ex's parents was a bit daunting as his former wife had made him chose between her and his parents, he chose her and didn't see them for 7 years and they'd not long been back in touch so I was very conscious of how they may be feeling about a new girlfriend on the scene and wanted to reassure them, without doing it obviously if you get what I mean, that history was not about to repeat itself.