I have been in several relationships before my current one, but I have never before had a girlfriend actually meet either of my parents. While I have talked about my previous girlfriends with them and received advice or shared my experiences, it’s a very different thing. I have had several conversations in the past with my mother, and she has said she has no interest in meeting any girl that doesn’t have a chance to become my wife. I’ve never had any issue with this standard, and it often helped me to keep my previous relationships in perspective. I could easily ask myself, “is this someone I would introduce to my mother?” The answer previously has always been no, though the reasons vary. It came as a surprise to me the first time I asked myself the question and actually thought that my girlfriend was a possible candidate. Not because I didn’t like her: simply because it had never happened before. When talking with my mother about it, there ended up being quite a bit of preparation that had to take place. Before my mother and girlfriend could meet, they needed to already have had some experience interacting with each other to build up their own relationship.

My mother, through me, gave gifts and expressed very supportive messages to my girlfriend (and wrote letters). My girlfriend responded in kind. Being party to and witness to the bond-making involved to help both of them feel comfortable and like they know each other a bit before having met was an interesting experience. The exchanges were precise in a way that I can’t quite describe, and I’m still not sure if I fully understand the interactions. But, my girlfriend felt confident saying yes to meeting my mother when I asked, and my mother was comfortable enough to be the one to suggest that they meet to begin with. My mother agreeing to meet my girlfriend is a really big deal. It’s essentially her saying she recognizes that I may end up marrying this girl. It’s exciting and also somewhat nervewracking to think that my relationship’s headed toward that place. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, but as I’ve grown older I’ve realized just how unprepared I am in so many ways. I’m growing as a person and working to get my life in order, but I’m still not there yet. I’m not used to nervous excitement, and I’m not sure how to handle it. What about you, reader? Do you feel nervous excitement often? How do you handle it?