I can remember when I was a teenager and meeting my girlfriend's parents for the first time, particularly here dad. He was an ex-marine with a reputation for being a real jerk to guys. I found out that he was really into fishing, good for me since I am too, so along with the flowers for my girl and her mom, I brought him a new issue of a popular fishing magazine. The guy was mine!

Why I am I telling you a dating story from so many years ago? I want to illustrate a point. If you take the time to find out a little more about your girl's parents before you meet them you will be better prepared on what to talk about, small gifts you can bring, etc. Whether she tells you or not, women are close to their parents and respect and value their opinions. If you show that you really care about meeting them, and you show an interest in them as well she will love it.

As I indicated above, do your homework and find out more about her parents before you meet them so you will have a higher survival rate. You can bet that she has told them a lot about you, it is only fair that you know as much as possible about them. The knowledge you get from your girlfriend will help you to avoid any landmines that could come up in conversation and also help you to be better informed about subjects that they are interested in.

You've heard the saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression I am sure, so when the day rolls around for you to meet here parents make sure you dress appropriately. Dressing like a bum will make them feel like you don't respect them enough to put a little effort into it and they will be insulted by it. What you wear will depend upon the situation in which you are meeting. If you are meeting at their home prior to taking your girl out for dinner and a movie, wear a nice pair of long pants and a button down shirt or Polo. If you are joining them to play a round of tennis, then you would want the appropriate attire for that.

If you really want to make a hit do as I did and bring a small gift with you on your first meeting, for each parent. You can't go wrong with this, what are they going to say? For the mom flowers are always appropriate, I think dads are harder to buy something for so you really need to find out what makes him tick.

When it comes to conversation, stay away from anything that can be controversial such as sex, religion, and politics. Politics and religion are two very polarizing topics and can get you totally cast out just for having different views. Keep the conversation more open and light and avoid off color jokes and remarks as well.

When you meet your girl's parents for the first time don't be overly affectionate, they haven't seen you around her and they need a little time to get used to seeing a guy hanging all over their little girl, even if she's grown.