The first time you meet your boyfriend's friends can
be nerve wracking. You may be nervous about whether or not they
will like you, whether or not you will be able to make polite conversation
with them and how their opinions of you will affect your relationship
with your boyfriend.
These are all valid concerns but it's important to remember that
the fact that he has wants you to meet his friends already means
that things are going pretty well. For men, introducing a girlfriend
to their friends is a very important step in a relationship.
It says that he cares enough about you to feel comfortable introducing
you to his friends as his girlfriend and that he subconsciously
is seeking their approval of you.
While men may not talk as openly
and freely to their friends as women do, they still value the opinions
of their friends so getting along with his friends is critical to
your relationship.
The most important way to survive meeting his friends is to relax
and just be you. Men are not as critical or judgmental as women
are so there is no need to be phony or pretend to be something you
are not. His friends will appreciate a genuine attitude and will
be more willing to accept you for what you are.
For example if you know you will be meeting to watch a football
game and you don't know the first thing about football, don't try
searching the Internet for information in an attempt to sound more
knowledgeable about the subject.
Men will see through this façade
and it will lower their opinion of your. Instead be honest and let
them know that you don't know anything about the sport and ask them
to explain what is going on in the game.
They will appreciate your honesty and will be flattered that you
are asking for their assistance. Men are more laid back than women
in terms of their friendships so when meeting his friends just relax
and be yourself.
Another tip to survive meeting his friends is to not go into the
meeting with any expectations that you and his friends will hit
it off instantly and become best friends.
You may expect to immediately strike up a relationship with them
that parallels your relationships with your female friends but these
expectations can be over ambitious. While women value conversation
and thoughtful discussions in their friendships, men take a more
relaxed approach to their friendships.
Don't be offended if his friends don't seem overly talkative or
interested in chatting with you. This is not necessarily a sign
that they don't like you but may just mean that they are not used
to a lot of conversation. Understanding that men are not as talkative,
especially initially, as women will help you to survive meeting
his friends by keeping you from jumping to the conclusion that they
don't like you.
While it is important not to be too talkative when you meet his
friends, it's also important not to be too quiet or reserved. Talking
too much can make you seem insincere and nosy but being too quiet
can make you seem snobbish. Don't be afraid to participate in the
conversations that your boyfriend and his friends are having but
don't try to dominate the conversation either.
Don't expect your boyfriend's friends to go out of their way to
include you in their conversation but also don't be afraid to jump
in uninvited and offer your opinions.
If you just stand quietly
by your boyfriend and don't make the effort to get involved you
will probably wind up feeling like an outsider and his friends will
think that you are stuck-up and not interested in talking to them.
Perhaps the most important tip for surviving meeting your boyfriend's
friends is to not embarrass him with baby talk or pet names around
his friends. While he might not mind this behavior when it is just
the two of you, he will likely be embarrassed by it in front of
his friends.
Over the top displays of affection and demonstrative pet names may
lead to your boyfriend receiving a lot of teasing from his friends.
This can really hurt your relationship with your boyfriend because
if they pick on him too much about your behavior, he may begin to
pull away from you just to avoid the relentless teasing from his
friends.
A woman's friends may tell her outright that they don't approve
of her boyfriend but a man's friends don't operate quite the same
way.
If they disapprove of his relationship, they will often just
tease him relentlessly until he ends the relationship on his own
accord. If you don't want to hurt your relationship with your boyfriend,
take precautions not to do anything that will embarrass him in front
of his friends and lead to their disapproval of you.
Meeting your boyfriend's friends for the first time can be a critical
point in your relationship. It's important to remember that if they
don't approve of you, they may unintentionally lead your boyfriend
to sever ties with you.
Conversely, their approval can reaffirm your boyfriend's feelings
that you are right for him. Meeting his friends for the first time
can be scary but being honest, being interested in them without
being too talkative and not doing anything to embarrass your boyfriend
will help you to survive meeting his friends.
About the Author
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