How to Impress a Girlfriend's Parents

Every guy hopes to impress his girlfriend's parents. The lengths you'll have to go to impress them depend on how protective they are of their little girl and how willing they are to accept you as their daughter's new beau. By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to impressing them, no matter how unwilling they may be to accept you into their daughter's life.

Instructions

1. Dress nicely. Check with your girlfriend first and make sure she approves of your outfit since she knows her parents better than you do.

2. Be a gentleman. Open doors for your girlfriend and her mom, pull out your girlfriend's chair when sitting down to eat and help her with her coat.

3. Compliment your girlfriend's parents on their beautiful home and their wonderful cooking. No matter how you actually feel about their home or their cooking, polite compliments will show them that you appreciate their hospitality.

4. Bring flowers, chocolates, wine or another small gift as a thank you for having you over or for taking you out to dinner. Send them a thank you note or give them a call to say thank you after visiting with them.

5. Engage in interesting conversation with them. This is not the time to be shy and boring. Ask them questions about their family and careers without being too intrusive. Showing them that you're interested in your girlfriend's background and family is key to impressing them.

6. Tell them positive things about yourself, your goals and your career. They want to see that their daughter's possible future mate has his life together.

7. Demonstrate your support for your girlfriend in all that you say and do. They want to know that you're not going to break their little girl's heart, so show how much you care for her.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't act fake or go overboard with the compliments. It's best to be yourself in their presence, but be the most polite version of yourself that you can be.

• Don't talk too much about yourself. You don't want to come across as conceited or vein. Telling them about your goals and accomplishments is one thing, but being full of yourself is another.

• Don't be too affectionate with your girlfriend in front of them. Holding hands is fine, but having a make out session is not. Keep it PG in front of the parents.

• Don't tell them about your drinking days or other wild escapades. No matter how cool they seem, they want to know that their daughter in't dating a wild man.