How To: Meet the Parents

Welcome! Happy Mishaps Day! I'm glad to report that this week Mishaps is back and running at full capacity. Thank you all for bearing with me while I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. 

You've probably all read here or seen on Facebook lately that I have exciting news in my life. Everyone meet Chris, my awesome boyfriend.  Hi Chris! ::waves at computer screen:: He's cute, smart, loves dogs that are part mini-horse, takes me to baseball games and to see fireworks, preferably at the same time, and thinks my blog is hysterical. What more could I ask for?

One of the fun (kind of?) parts about having a new relationship is meeting all of the people in both of our lives: roommates, friends, dogs, and even families. We both came to the decision that meeting the parents was going to be as big of a deal as we made out of it. Since both of our families live in the Dallas area (at least part of the time) we were better off getting it out the way than trying to explain why no one had met this mystery person. (Please imagine me making the sound effect of a Band-Aid ripping off, because that is definitely the noise I made while I wrote this paragraph.) (I also apparently love parentheses.)  (At least its not air quotes.) (My eye just twitched.) (I'm done now.)

The plan was set: Chris was going to take me to church, where we would meet his parents, then go eat with them after. Being my typical self, I was confident. I'm funny, relatable, and could talk to a wall. What did I have to worry about?

This attitude stuck with me until we got to the church and Chris and I stood there waiting for his parents to arrive. Suddenly I was ready to put my head between my knees and start hyperventilating. What should I talk about? What should I not talk about? What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them? Why was I not freaking out before RIGHT NOW?!

This was no time to panic... It was too late to fake a sudden illness and try to get out of this. They'd be here at any minute and I'd probably just lost all color in my face as I was trying to remain calm. I might not HAVE to fake an illness if suddenly I hurl on myself. Clearly I was doing a fantastic job at remaining calm...

Turns out everything went just about as smoothly as I could have asked for. I didn't heave, which is always a plus. It did make me feel slightly better about myself that Chris went through the same sudden anxiety attack as we were walking through the parking lot of the restaurant to meet my parents two weeks later. We are just so compatible like that.

Have you had a Meet the Parents Mishaps? Are you ready to meet your significant other's family? Keep these rules in mind.

1. Bring Tums. 
2. Ask your boyfriend/girlfriend about their family so you aren't going in completely blind.
3. Always err on the side of conservative. Watch your language and be polite.
4. Find a balance between quiet as they talk about things you may not know about and talkative when they ask you questions about yourself.
5. It'll only feel like pulling teeth if you go into it with that mentality. Volunteer information rather than sit back for the firing squad of questions. Talk about your family, your job, etc. 
6. Turns out parents get really nervous about these kinds of things, too. My mom knew how important it was to me for it to go smoothly and ended up just as nervous as Chris and I felt.
7. Be yourself! There's a reason you're dating the person you are and more than likely thats the same reason their parents will end up liking you.

Apparently its pretty evident that Chris and I are chocolate-wasted happy together and thats all our parents seemed to notice. There was no need to spray paint a cat or anything outrageous. I even met his siblings this past weekend. So now all we have to do is meet my siblings and ease their FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). (I just learned this acronym today.) (Here we go again with the parentheses.)