I'm a firm believer that “dating” is something that improves with experience. In the early days of dating, each party in the relationship tries to spend every available moment with the other – which grows old fast. You know…that puppy love. With our dating experience  comes maturity. We seem better at balancing our time appropriately...with couple activities and individual activities such as school and work. Ironically though, our desire to spend every waking moment with our new passion, is replaced by the action of meeting our parents. It seems to come sooner these days than in the past. Why?

Well, I’m not Dear Abby, but here’s my view:

In today’s world, we enjoy sharing our experiences over social media. Our family members are typically connected to some form of social media too. That means, that they see the people we are with, the activities we engage in, and the venues we choose. I got to thinking then, that the action of meeting the parents is really more of a social media preface. In other words, we choose to introduce the new person in our lives to avoid being peppered with daily questions about who the person is, what they’re like, and where we are going.

As for me, I love my family, but I choose to keep many aspects of my private life private. Introducing the significant other allows a connection to take place without the parents prying to deeply.  When the brief introduction takes place, there is a comfort gained between the parents and the newbie in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t overdo it. The introduction doesn’t mean we’re participating as a couple in all the family events! That comes with time.

And don’t worry about my social media habits, I’m not exposing my parents (or others) to anything they shouldn’t see!

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