| Meet
the Parents
Written
and moderated by Adrienne Gusoff
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Dear
Babe:
I was at a singles bar and went to get a drink for myself and my buddy,
when a very attractive woman came over and introduced herself. She
mentioned right off the bat that she was out with her parents who,
from time to time, liked her to show them the trendy night spots.
I said that I enjoyed taking my mom out to the cool clubs sometimes,
too. She nodded to her folks and I noticed her dad, who is a local
TV personality. Suddenly, I was frozen. How could I hit on her in
front of her parents, especially when they kept looking at me? Do
you know some good ways to handle these kinds of situations smoothly?
--Meet the Folks
Dear Meet:
Meeting the parents can be a stressful experience, even more so if
you really like their daughter (or son) and have a vested interesting
in impressing them. Parents can be your greatest ally or worst nightmare
in a relationship, depending on whether or not they like you.
Parents, being older and more worldly wise than their children, generally
have a better understanding of what makes relationships work, whereas
the young 'uns might be basing their "love" on something as ethereal
as raging hormones. If you can convince the parents that you are a
decent guy who will respect their daughter, take care of her, and
treat her right, you'll certainly get their seal of approval. They'll
happily send their precious little princess off alone with you, after
which you two can rut like wild goats in heat, with the folks being
none the wiser.
In this situation, instead of hitting on the young woman, what might
have worked better would have been to ask her to introduce you to
her folks. You could have turned on your charm, complimented them
on raising such a lovely daughter, and perhaps even gleaned a few
interesting tidbits about her. (Parents love to brag!) They would
have been impressed with your manners, self-confidence and forthrightness.
You could have then asked their permission to spirit her away for
some dancing. With her folks watching you both adoringly from afar,
thrilled that their daughter has met "such a nice young man," the
two of you are now free to whisper filthy nothings and lewd suggestions
into each other's ears, and plan the best way to ditch your chaperones.
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