Despite the best laid plans to create a good first impression as you meet your future in-laws, things do not always run as smoothly as you would like. There are many real-life Meet the Parents scenarios where people just do not hit it off with their future mother-in-law or sister-in-law. People may accidentally say the wrong thing, discuss a controversial subject that the family considers taboo or express an opinion that goes against what the rest of the family believes in.
Explain the Misunderstanding
In many instances, the bad impression was caused by a simple misunderstanding. If so, it can be put right by explaining the misunderstanding and seeking forgiveness for having offended a member of your fiancé(e)'s family. Not only does this show your future in-laws that you have acknowledged their hurt feelings; you are also trying to put matters right and develop an amicable relationship from this point on.
Be Yourself
It is a simple matter to hear your fiancé(e) tell you to “just be yourself”, as if this will guarantee that their family will love you as much as they do. It is quite another to put this advice into practice and to act in a natural manner. Strangers can often sense when others are concealing who they truly are, as their efforts will seem contrived rather than real. Even if you do so in order to please them, it will not work in the long run. It does not help if you pretend you are a doctor when you are really a nurse's assistant or you exaggerate your education and attainments in some other way. If you are embarrassed by the job you perform, trying to pretend you are someone you are not will only come back to haunt you later on when your deceit is found out.
If the first impression you have created with your future in-laws has not been a positive one, do not conclude that all is lost. It is possible to recover lost ground and to prove to your future in-laws that you will make an ideal new member of the family. Do what you can to explain any misunderstandings and to always be yourself. After all, that is what your future in-laws want to see.
