Handle meeting your partner’s family for the first time like a pro!
Ready to meet your partner's family for the first time? Make it count! Fashion blogger, Hollywood Lee weighs in on the dos and don'ts.
POLOKWANE – Will you be meeting your partner’s family for the first time this festive season?
Use the opportunity to get into their good books, it will come in handy.
You need to be prepared because “when you marry him or her, you marry the whole family”.
So it is advisable to start thinking of how to make it a success!
Fashion blogger, Hollywood Lee, offers pointers for women on how to dress when meeting them for the first time:
“Opt for for minimal make up to enhance your features and to seem effortless. Wear long dresses with frills to seem “princessy” and adorable or easy on the eye. Avoid see through tops, tight clothing, power suits or very high-heels. Your outfits should make you seem approachable and you must feel comfortable to move in them with ease,” she said.
Meanwhile, relationship and marriage counselor Rachel Mumo expands on the do’s and don’ts:
Research about them
This will help you draw boundaries. Do not say things that will embarrass you or them. For example, do not ask about the loss of a loved one unless they initiate the conversation. And even so, keep it brief.
Do not arrive empty handed, plan ahead
Enquire from your partner what they get up to during this time.
This will help you with ideas of what items would be handy and importantly please them when you arrive.
If you discover that your partner’s mother spends time with family aunties in the kitchen on Christmas Day – try a personalised apron.
Listen and observe actively and talk less
No one enjoys a know-it-all. Strike a balance between being polite and engaging in conversation. Ask questions about your in-laws’ lives, hobbies, and interests. Listen attentively and avoid dominating the conversation. Plus, the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something stupid. Avoid controversial topics; this is not the time to be an activist; you are trying to build a good rapport, not debate.
Avoid excessive screen time
Otherwise, you would seem uninterested in those around you and unapproachable. Engage in careful conversations more.
Offer to help
Wash the dishes after a meal or make desert or something similar. It will also help you learn more about their family culture. And also that you are invested in trying to build with them.
