You’re madly, irrefutably in love with your boyfriend. He’s funny,
sweet, considerate, and into grand, romantic gestures. Your girlfriends
love him, as do your parents. But do his parents love you? For some reason you get the weird, unsettling sense that his folks might not even like you at all. Here’s how to tell if it's all in your head – or if your boyfriend's mom and dad really are giving you the evil eye.
1. He won’t introduce you to his parents.
Every
time you bring up his parents (and the fact that you haven’t met them
yet), he shuts down—and once he’s hiding in his shell, there’s no
getting him out. You’ve tried everything: gentle prodding, subtle hints,
even an outright tantrum, and he still won’t. Budge.
You’re beginning to think that the most you’ll ever know about his
family is whatever you’re able to see on his Facebook. Could there be
something about you or your background that he knows his parents won't
approve of?
2. His parents are constantly trying to interfere with your plans.
So you’ve met the Mr. and Mrs., but now you can’t seem to get rid of ’em.
It seems like every time you have nice dinner plans
or a scheduled outing with your guy, his mom and dad are there to
interrupt. They play it off like it's a coincidence each time, but you
can tell that those evil party-crashers are butting in intentionally.
3. You’re not invited to his holiday parties or special days.
It’s
his birthday, and he’s driving back home to make merry with his fam.
You’ve packed your bags, ready to accompany your dude as he celebrates a
milestone—and then he nonchalantly mentions that it’s “just a family
thing.” If he’s serious about you, he should view you as family,
too—unless he secretly knows that his mom will throw a fit if you show
up, and doesn’t feel like dealing with the drama. Not a good sign either
way.
4. They treat you rudely / act cold.
Every
time you're out to lunch together, his dad makes a snide comment about
your outfit and his mom giggles about it. All you can do is force a
smile, ball your fists, and pray that you won’t be carted off to jail
for minor acts of violence. Or, perhaps his parents are weirdly mum
whenever you visit, barely saying “hi” and always able to answer your
questions in five words or less. Awk…ward.
5. He doesn’t want to go public.
When
he said he didn’t want to be “that couple” who publicizes their
relationship on Facebook by making it an official status, you said it
was cool. And it was. Kind of. But now that he’s refusing to upload any
of the cute pics you took in the park, it’s kinda weirding you out.
After some sleuthing, you discover that his mother is a pretty avid
Facebook user, commenting cute little nothings on all of his profile
pics. Red flag: He doesn’t want his parents to know about his
relationship.
6. He won't entertain wedding discussion.
You’ve
both already agreed on the white picket fence house and what you’d name
your kids (Amber, Max and Hunter, respectively), but whenever you talk
about an actual wedding to make all that good stuff happen …
he’s suddenly on his way out the door to “run some errands.” You’re
scratching your head. He wants the kids and the vows, but not the event
itself? His fear actually makes perfect sense, if you think about it: He
loves you, but his parents don’t.
By Ashley McDonald
