Although this can sometimes be a difficult conversation to have, with the holiday approaching quickly, this is a topic that must be discussed. How do you know when it is acceptable to bring your boyfriend/girlfriend to the family Thanksgiving dinner? Some things to consider: How “serious” is your relationship with this person? How long have you two been together? Is your family strict about “family time” or is anyone welcome? Answers to these questions are going to differ from person to person. To get a better idea, I’ve asked some Sacred Heart students how they feel about this matter.
Sophomore Linsey Dedomenico says, “I believe that there is no time limit when it comes to bringing your boyfriend home. But for my family, if one of my siblings or I bring someone home, then they know that this person must mean something special to one of us.”
For a junior female, there are other factors to consider as well. She reveals, “In regards to a significant other it depends on the gender in which I bring home. If it’s a girl I would rather call her my ‘friend,’ bring her over, and let it go from there. If it was a guy, it would probably be ok within a few months.”
Senior Enjoli Bland states, “When it comes to my family, they are very open to having friends over during the holidays. Now when it comes to bringing home a significant other, if I think the person is important enough to bring home, then my family is glad to have them.”
Another sophomore, Courtney Machamer, gave her opinion. She says, “For me, personally, I think the relationship would have to be at least 2-3 months in before even introducing them to my family, let alone take them to Thanksgiving dinner.”
From a male perspective, sophomore Victor Sorrento adds, “Even though meeting the family is a huge step, your parents should have the opportunity to meet the person you are dating no matter how long the relationship has been going on. They want to see what kind of people you are going after.”
So, how do you know when it is okay to bring your boyfriend or girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner? The best answer I can give you is this: it depends on your situation. In my family, I could bring anyone to dinner at any time without any notice. But that is not necessarily the case for everyone. In general, when deciding whether or not to bring your significant other to dinner, make sure to ask yourself if this person is truly important to you and if your family would be okay with having another person attend the dinner.
One last tip: it might be a good idea to give your family a heads up if you are bringing a special guest to Thanksgiving dinner–they may need to make plans to prepare more food. They may even need to mentally prepare themselves beforehand!