Spoiler: most of them involve alcohol
Meeting your significant other’s parents can be a joyous occasion that really pushes your relationship to the next level, and many people end up becoming great friends with their in-laws.
It can also be one of the most nerve-wracking and cringe-worthy encounters of your life, and chances are, you’re going to embarrass yourself in some way.
So, in honour of awkward moments day, here are three disastrous-but-hilarious stories of times when meeting the parents did not quite go as intended.
Red, red wine
Meeting the parents can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially when it has been so highly anticipated, and we are all guilty of relying on a little bit of liquid courage to calm those nerves.
A couple of glasses of wine at dinner or over nibbles is totally acceptable but do not make the mistake that Anne* did and overdo things completely.
Anne had been dating her boyfriend for six months, and when the time came to seal the deal and finally meet his parents, she naturally felt quite nervous.
“I’m not very confident when meeting other people,” she said, “so when his mother offered me some red wine, I thought it would be a good idea to help me loosen up.”
What Anne did not anticipate, however, was how much of a seasoned red wine drinker her boyfriend’s mother was, and as she attempted to keep up with her, it became clear the night would take a turn for the worst.
“I knew I was in trouble when I hit halfway through my second bottle of red wine,” she said, “fast forward an hour or so, and there I was, limp as a dead fish and throwing up the beautifully cooked dinner she made all over her cream bathroom.”
Not quite the night they had planned.
Apparently, they were able to laugh about it afterwards but, for Anne, that night has provided many cringe-worthy memories to last a lifetime.
*Name changed to maintain anonymity.
A bad influence
Next up, we have Jack, who tried so hard to be the responsible boyfriend that every parent dreams of for their daughter, only to have it backfire entirely.
Jack and his now ex-girlfriend were attending a typical house party where you drink anything and everything you can get your hands on, only to end up passed out somewhere and not able to touch Sambuca ever again.
“My then-girlfriend wasn’t really used to drinking and went straight to the vodka,” he said, “she wasn’t messing around.”
After a couple of hours of more reckless drinking, Jack realised that she was in no fit state to stay out and he would have to take her home.
“I had met her mum before, who was lovely, but never her Dad who, as it turned out, was also nice but very stern and old fashioned,” he said.
Jack’s girlfriend was in no fit state to walk so he had not choice but to drag her inside her house much to the horror of her parents who were waiting at the front door.
As he tried to explain to her very stern and unimpressed father what had happened and why his daughter was in such a state, she fell down the stairs with a spectacular crash, and Jack was promptly asked to leave.
A word of advice
Our third and final awkward ‘meet the parents’ story comes from Kellie, and when she met her boyfriend’s mother for the first time, it wasn’t exactly the warm welcome she was expecting.
Kellie and her boyfriend had been on and off in their relationship and had just got back together after a recent split.
“He had cheated on me,” she said, “but we got back together, and I was going to stay with him for a week.”
Apparently, his behaviour did not go unnoticed, least of all by his mother.
“We were getting a lift from his mum,” Kellie said, “that was the first time I met her.”
As she got in the car, her then-boyfriend’s mother offered Kellie some words of wisdom on their tumultuous relationship.
“She turned around in the car and asked me ‘Kellie, what the hell do you think you are doing getting back with this idiot’?” she laughed.
Not the typical way to greet your son’s girlfriend but she was not wrong!
Kellie said they all just laughed about it and brushed it off as a joke, but it turns out mothers really do know best, as the pair are no longer together.
What not to do when meeting the parents:
- Drink too much alcohol
- Insult their dad’s record collection
- Call them by the wrong name
- Too much PDA