Love, Lust and Lies: Survival guide to meeting her parents

It's never easy meeting the parents, especially for guys, because before the dad meets you, he already hates you. Mothers tend to be the opposite; they will like you before they meet you. The key is making the dad rethink his opinion of you and reassure the mom's intuition.

The first thing you should do before you meet the parents is shower. Most of you might be thinking this is pretty obvious, but I have a feeling there are a few guys out there who need to be reminded. First impressions mean everything when meeting your girlfriend's parents, so dress nicely. I'm not saying bring out the tux and tie, but clean underneath your nails and treat this as an interview for whether or not you are good enough to date their daughter.

Since it's the holidays, you should bring the parents a gift — maybe a bottle of wine or some flowers. It doesn't have to be something big, especially if you are a student. Just something small to thank them for having you over that will show them how thoughtful you are.

Topics to avoid when meeting the parents should include politics, religion, partying stories and past relationships. No parent wants to hear that their daughter is dating a 21 year old who was engaged to his high school sweetheart or that he holds the record in his fraternity for the most one-night stands. Her dad isn't one of your buddies — there's no need to brag about this one.

The question that you should be prepared to answer is "What do you want to do with your life?" This is important. If you have no goals in life, they will take it as a sign of laziness and lack of ambition. It's understandable if you are in college or university and still don't know what you want to do with your life — most people don't. That being said, for this night if you have no ambition in life or goals, you should make some up!

Your actions speak volumes, so you need to show the parents that you have respect for them and their daughter, and there are two ways you can do this. First, do not use pet names in front of parents. No dad wants to hear his daughter being called "babe" or "princess." Secondly, keep your hands to yourself! Yes, deep down, her dad knows you do more than just hold hands, but you do not want to remind him of that or make that thought resurface, especially on an occasion when you know he is going to have a knife in his hand at some point. If you don't treat the parents with respect, why would they think you are treating their daughter with respect?

Now, being a bit more specific, how to make sure the mom loves you more than she did before she met you. One word: flattery. Moms love compliments, especially about how good or young they look. I should add a disclaimer here: You are complimenting Mom, not hitting on her. Remember, Dad already hates you for taking one of his girls.