By Amal Kasem

Ah, meeting the parents; one of the most nerve wracking situations you will experience. If you are meeting the parents, it usually means your relationship is going well enough that you want your parents’ approval of the person you admire. There are a couple of tips that may help get you through this stressful event–and live to tell about it. Now, this won’t be easy, so try and keep up. With the holidays coming up, you may be invited over for a Thanksgiving dinner.

We all know how scary meeting the parents can be. In most cases, you are invited over for dinner with your significant other’s family. Complimenting the food and showing polite manners during dinner will definitely win you points. You could also bring a gift for the occasion. Something as simple as chocolate would do the trick, or a dessert might be nice.

Guys, you can do little things to sweeten the parents up before the visit. For example, bring your date home a few minutes earlier than curfew. It will show them you are responsible, and that their daughter/son is in good hands.

Appearance is important in this situation because parents like to make assumptions based on the look of your boyfriend/girlfriend. They look at appearance as a way to help them decide if they approve. If you aren’t dressed to impress then they may not even give you a chance. Of course this does vary widely, depending on the parents and the household.

For girls, wearing a nice blouse with slacks would make a good ensemble, or a simple dress would also be a good choice. Also, make sure you keep your make-up light. Save the smokey eye for another, more appropriate event.

Guys can easily make a good first impression by wearing a dress shirt with clean jeans, no need for dress pants unless it’s a special occasion.

Good luck and just be sure to be yourself. Remember, you never get a second chance to make first impression.