Rose's Relationship Guide, Part 2: The Camels Are Still In Danger

Rose brings us yet another hilarious, dromedary-death-related post. It's CAMEL TIME, y'all (that's like HAMMER TIME, but better.)—Sparkitors

Rose here with your next relationship PSA! Today, in order to prevent further camel deaths, we'll be covering how to introduce your new SO to your parents!

Yes, the dreaded parental introduction. Despite all your attempts to ensure that it goes smoothly, something will inevitably go wrong: your BF will show up in his work uniform (which happens to be a giant hot dog), or your mom will break out the naked baby pictures, or your little brother will take it upon himself to fart the alphabet during the salad course. No matter what, there will be a moment when you look at your poor, traumatized SO and mouth "Sorry." Apologize to the the camels, too, while you're at it.

How can you avoid this minefield of mammal murder? (Say that five times fast!) Here are my tips!

Slow and steady wins the race:
Introducing your SO a little bit at a time is a lot easier than springing for an excruciating, 3-hour, getting-to-know-you dinner. So have your date pop in every time s/he picks you up for a date; that way, your mom and dad can say hi, ask a few questions, and exchange pleasantries, and then you guys can be out the door! When the time comes for an actual sit-down, everyone will feel more comfortable, and there'll be a lot less pressure than if it was their first time meeting.

Introduce your SO before they're your SO: Remember when your SO was just a friend? Yep, that was the perfect time to introduce them. Your parents view new pals as another regular teen thing; meeting one of your new buddies registers about a "2 "on the Parent Excitment/Worry scale.

Don't let Facebook be the bearer of good news: If your parents find out THROUGH THE INTERNET that you're in a relationship, they will flip out. So make sure you talk about your SO with them well before you become Facebook-official; it'll give you a chance to list all of their good qualities and prepare your padres for the shock.

Hopefully these tips help you avoid awkwardness and many, many camel deaths!

Have you ever introduced an SO to your parents? How did it go?

Related post: Rose's Relationship Guide, Part 1: You Are  a Potential Camel Murderer