Meeting your Thai girlfriend's parents can be a sign she's serious about you, so ask her what the invitation means in her family before you go. Find out what her parents like, dress neat, let her show you the greeting, bring a small gift, answer their questions about your work plainly, offer to help and listen more than you talk.
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We read what 139 people writing in Thai on Pantip, a Thai-language forum, said about meeting a partner’s parents: what the parents ask, what to bring, what to do, and what happens when the parents say no. Most of them write about Thai couples, so their counts show what comes up most when Thai people talk about a partner’s parents, not how every Thai family sees a Western man. That is still where your visit starts. Where this page goes beyond what they wrote, about a Western man in the room, it says so.
Is meeting your girlfriend’s parents a big deal in Thailand?
Often it is, though families differ, so ask her. Of 13 people in our count who wrote about timing, 5 said a partner who won’t introduce you to their parents is telling you something about how serious they are; all 5 were in one thread about one couple. One Thai mother wrote that she would teach her own children to bring someone home only when they’re sure, and only the person they mean to build a family with. 1
That gives the same lunch two different weights. To you it may be a chance to meet the people who raised her. To her family, and to her, it can read as a statement of where the two of you are heading. Nobody in the threads compares how a Thai woman and a Western man see the meeting, so that difference is our reading, but it’s the safe one to go in with: if you aren’t ready to be seen as her serious partner, say so to her before the visit, not after. Don’t treat the invitation as proof of anything either: ask her how she sees the two of you.
An invitation home can be a sign she’s serious, or simply a family meal. Ask her what it means to her and her family before you go, and go in the role the two of you have agreed.
Quick poll
Two months in, she invites you to meet her parents. What does it tell you?
Anonymous count, nothing else stored.
She hasn’t introduced you to her parents yet
Ask her once, plainly, why not, and don’t press if she isn’t ready. That’s the advice of the Thai mother in that thread, who adds that being taken home may mean the partner is ready for a family. Three commenters say meeting after only days or weeks is too soon; one says meeting early is fine. Nobody we read gives a typical time from first date to meeting the parents, and we found no study that does, so don’t measure yourself against a number.
Some reasons for waiting are ordinary. Her parents may live far away, she may want to be sure before they start asking about marriage, or she may be waiting for a family occasion. If a year in she still won’t explain, and keeps you away from her friends as well, read our guide to red flags in a girlfriend.
A cousin or her friends first, her parents later
Meeting her cousin, a sibling or her friends doesn’t tell you when, or whether, a parents’ introduction will follow; we found no count on it. Ask her what that introduction would mean to her. Three commenters in one thread say the partner should be the one to lead the introduction, and one says it looks bad to turn up at a partner’s family home without them there. 1 So let her decide who you meet and when, and go with her.
The questions her parents will ask you, and why
Expect questions about your job, your family and your plans, and expect them early. Of 14 people in our count who said what the parents asked, 11 named the job or money, 5 named where you’re from and your family, and 5 named what you want from the relationship. Three compared it to a job interview.
One woman wrote that her mother, who used to work in HR, asks a visiting boyfriend what his parents do, where he lives, what he studied and what his plans and dreams are. The questions sound casual, but she is judging how he thinks and how mature and steady he is. 2 Another commenter in the same thread said that where she lives, every topic loops back to money: is his family rich, what do his parents do, what does he earn.
Your guess
At a first meeting, what do you think a partner’s parents ask about most?
14 commenters on Pantip who said what the parents asked
- His job or money 11 of 14
- Where he’s from, his family 5 of 14
- What he wants with their daughter 5 of 14
- All of it, like a job interview 3 of 14
We keep your answer anonymously, with the date, and nothing else.
In a thread where 19 people described what older Thai people see as a good young person, 7 named manners and humility, 5 a steady job or standing, 3 honesty and 3 wealth. So answer the money questions plainly and without boasting: what you do, whether it’s steady, and where you’d live. You can say that much without giving exact figures, and if anyone asks you for money, say you’ll talk it over with her first. Those questions are one way of judging whether you could give their daughter a steady life. If marriage comes up, money questions grow, and our guide to marrying a Thai woman covers them.
Give plain answers about your work and your plans. They settle more than charm does, and you don’t owe anyone your exact figures.
What to do when meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time
Ask her what her parents like and expect, then follow her lead in the room. Of 47 people in our count who gave advice on a first meeting, 18 said bring a gift, 12 said ask your partner first what the parents like, 10 said dress clean and tidy, 10 said be yourself, 9 said mind your manners, 6 said listen more than you talk, 5 said help around the house and 4 said keep off politics and religion.
The greeting is the wai, palms together with a slight bow, and the younger person usually offers it first. Only 2 of the 47 named it, which tells you how rarely they wrote it down, not whether it matters. Ask her to show you how to greet her parents; if her father offers a handshake instead, take it. Take your shoes off at the door, and keep your feet from pointing at anyone.
Ask her, too, what to call her parents. One commenter warns that some elders dislike being called father or mother at a first meeting, because it sounds too close too soon. 2 The same commenter says to keep off politics and religion, and if the parents bring them up, to nod.
Two commenters warn against acting the big shot or talking too much at a first meeting. Don’t interrupt anyone who hasn’t finished speaking, and talk to her father and the rest of her family, not only to her. Asking her father about his hobbies is an easy start.
Small mistakes her family will remember
Small acts tell her family how you’ll treat their daughter. One woman wrote that her father disliked a former boyfriend from the moment he sent her to fetch something from his car in front of him: if he orders her about even in front of her parents, what will he do in private? 3
Another commenter described a guest she judged badly. He stayed in his seat and never offered help, didn’t thank anyone for a drink or a snack, talked about himself in a full room, joked at others’ expense and left without saying goodbye. 4
Small acts carry the meeting: how you speak to her, whether you get up to help, and whether you listen.
Challenge yourself
How will her family read this?
Seven moments from a first visit to a girlfriend’s parents. For each thing he does, decide: likely to land well, risky, or ask her first because families differ. Then see why, and how you did against everyone else.
1. the questions at lunch
Lunch at her parents’ house. She translates.
- Her mother What do your parents do? And what are your plans?
- My dad was an engineer and my mum teaches. I work in logistics, and I want to spend more of my time here with your daughter.
Answer: likely to land well
Questions about your work, your family and your plans are common at a first meeting, not a trap: of 14 Thai commenters who said what the parents asked, 11 named the job or money. A plain, honest answer is the safe one.
What to do: Answer plainly and briefly, without boasting, and ask her beforehand what her parents are likely to ask.
2. Mum and Dad
Arriving at the door, shoes off.
- Thank you for having me, Mum. Dad, it’s good to meet you.
Answer: ask her first, families differ
One Thai commenter warns that some elders dislike being called father or mother at a first meeting because it sounds too close too soon. Other families are pleased by it. Only she knows which hers is.
What to do: Ask her what to call her parents, and use that from the first hello.
3. the phone in the car
Sitting outside with her father after the meal.
- Babe, could you run to the car and grab my phone?
Answer: risky, it can land badly
A polite ask isn’t always ordering her about, and some families won’t mind. But one Thai woman wrote that her father disliked a boyfriend from the moment he sent her to fetch something from his car in front of him: if he orders her about in front of her parents, what does he do in private? It’s a reading her family could make.
What to do: Fetch it yourself. It costs you nothing, and in front of her parents it’s the safer choice.
4. clearing the table
After dinner, her mother and aunt start clearing the plates.
- I’ll stay out of the way and let you get on with it.
Answer: risky, it can land badly
A commenter described a guest she judged badly: he stayed in his seat and never offered to help, though he had the chance. Five of 47 Thai commenters who gave advice say help around the house. Some hosts would rather a guest sat down, so the offer is what counts.
What to do: Stand up and offer to carry plates. If they wave you back to your seat, sit; you have still offered.
5. the fruit basket
At a fruit stall on the way to her parents’ house.
- Let’s get them the big basket of lychees. They look great.
Answer: ask her first, families differ
Fruit is a good gift, but one commenter names lychee as a fruit not to buy and says to learn what the household eats and avoids, and what the family sells, so you don’t bring their own stock. Twelve of 47 say ask your partner first.
What to do: Ask her what her parents like, avoid or sell, and buy from that.
6. the spare room
Staying the night. Her parents show you to the spare room; she sleeps in her old room.
- Thank you, the spare room is perfect. Good night.
Answer: likely to land well
A Thai woman wrote that when she stayed with a boyfriend’s family, he gave her his room, slept in his sister’s, and kept the door ajar when he came in. She took it as very respectful. Two of eight commenters on staying over mention separate rooms.
What to do: Take the room they offer, and don’t ask to share hers under their roof.
7. the news on TV
Dinner. The news is on, and her uncle says something about it.
- What does everyone here think of the government right now?
Answer: risky, it can land badly
Talking politics isn’t bad manners in itself, but opening it at a first dinner is a risk: four of 47 Thai commenters who gave advice say keep off politics and religion; one adds that if the parents raise it, just nod.
What to do: If they bring it up, listen, follow their lead and hers, then turn the talk to the food or their town.
Her family is reading small acts for how you will treat their daughter: answer plainly, help, follow her lead, and ask her before anything you’re unsure of.
These moments are made up, built from what Thai commenters wrote on Pantip about meeting a partner’s parents. A game can’t judge your own visit or read her family’s minds; it shows what commenters say tends to land, and families differ. We keep your answers and score anonymously, with the date, and nothing else.
What to take when meeting your girlfriend’s parents
Take a small gift she helps you choose. Of the 47 who gave advice, 18 said bring a gift and 16 of them said a small one; 12 said ask your partner first what the parents like. Fruit, sweets from a good bakery or something from your home country are easy choices to run past her; 2 commenters suggest something useful instead of food.
Ask her which fruit, though. One commenter says to find out what the household eats and avoids, and what the family sells, so you don’t arrive with their own stock; she names lychee as one fruit not to buy. 3
Quick poll
What would you take to a first meeting with her parents?
Anonymous count, nothing else stored.
A first-meeting gift is not sin sod. Sin sod is the bride price, which Thai law (section 1437 of the Civil and Commercial Code, as amended in 2024) describes as property the partner making the engagement gives the other partner’s parents, adoptive parents or guardian, in return for that partner agreeing to marry. 5 It belongs to a later conversation, if marriage comes up, and any legal question about it goes to a licensed Thai lawyer.
When her parents don’t speak English
Agree with her how the translating will work, and let what you do carry the rest. None of the 11 threads we read mentions English, a translator or a language barrier. The accounts are mostly about Thai couples, and only 1 of the 139 people wrote about her own foreign partner, so they don’t tell us what changes when a Western partner needs translation, which is not the same as it not mattering. What follows is our reading.
Before the visit, ask her to translate both ways and not to let you sit outside the talk for long, and agree a small signal for when either of you needs a break: translating through a whole meal is tiring.
Learn to say hello and thank you in Thai, and say them. Helping, good manners and how you treat her can make an impression even when you can’t talk much. Bring photos of your family and your home on your phone; they answer the “where are you from” questions without many words. Keep anything about money, marriage or moving abroad for a talk with her afterwards, not a promise made through a quick translation; if anything like that ever has to be agreed with her family, use an interpreter you both trust rather than leaving it all on her.
If you hope she’ll live in your country one day, talk it through with her first and let her decide when her parents hear it. Concrete plans, where you’d live and how often she could fly home, answer what any parent wants to know.
Her father barely spoke to you: disapproval or formality?
Silence at a first meeting is not enough to tell. A quiet father at a first meeting may be shy, may have no English, or may simply be watching, which is what the commenters in our count say parents do. Two commenters in a thread about visiting a boyfriend’s family say a first visit doesn’t settle it; one says if you’re unsure, go a second and a third time. A warmer second visit doesn’t prove approval either, and you go back only if she wants you to. 6
Ask her afterwards what her father said about you. She’ll hear it before you do.
Quick poll
Her father barely spoke at your first meal with them. What would you make of it?
Anonymous count, nothing else stored.
Staying over at her parents’ house
If you stay the night, take the room you’re offered and don’t ask to share hers. In one thread where 8 people wrote about visits and staying over, 5 said the younger partner travels to the elders, and 2 mentioned separate bedrooms. Ask her before the visit what’s fine in front of her family; don’t assume holding hands or a kiss will be welcome.
One woman wrote that her boyfriend told his family he was bringing a friend. She slept in his room and he slept in his sister’s, and when he came to her room he left the door ajar. She took it as very respectful. 7 If you’d rather not test the house rules on a first visit, a hotel nearby is an easy answer. Ask her which her parents would prefer.
Quick poll
First trip to her parents’ town: where should he sleep?
Anonymous count, nothing else stored.
If your girlfriend’s family doesn’t accept you
Go back only when she invites you, stay polite, and don’t push her to choose, or to keep speaking for you to her parents. A first cool meeting isn’t always the last word.
Of 14 people in our count who wrote about parents who object, 11 were in one thread, all answering one woman: she had taken her partner, a Thai man who works abroad, to meet her parents several times, and each time they shut the house and avoided him. Of the 11, 7 told her she’s an adult and should register the marriage anyway; one said to find someone her parents trust to speak for her, and one said to get her parents to meet him first. That is what commenters told one woman, not a rule and not a result. 8
The one person in our count who wrote about her own foreign boyfriend shows how hard that choice can be. At 22, she said, her parents and siblings were embarrassed by him, and her mother told her to choose him and not come home. She worked near home for two years while he waited; her mother still refused, and she chose her mother. She says her mother apologised before she died. 9
A family that says no at the first meeting hasn’t always said its last word. Whether to go on without their blessing is her choice, not yours to push, and neither of you has to marry to settle it. Going ahead can cost her a home or her family’s support, so talk that through with her first.
Sometimes the friction is about money. Two readers of the old version of this page wrote about money pressure from her side: one said her mother always had a money problem and expected her daughter to pay, even charging her rent when she moved home, 10 and another said her family wanted money from him through her, and that saying no brought cold silence. 11 Two letters don’t tell you how common that is.
If anyone in her family threatens either of you, or she is afraid of them, it’s no longer a disagreement to win over: she can get support in private, and the two of you shouldn’t confront them together. When family pressure starts causing fights between the two of you, our guide to Thai girlfriend relationship problems goes further.
Quick poll
Her parents won’t accept him after several visits. What should the couple do?
Anonymous count, nothing else stored.
Who comes first, your wife or your family?
Once you’re married, the two of you decide your life together, and both sets of parents get respect and time without a vote on it. Her family may see it differently: 2 commenters in our count said a relationship is between two families, not only two people. Ask her how much say she expects each family to have, and talk it through before it comes up at a family table.
Introducing your Thai girlfriend to your family
Prepare both sides before they meet. She may be reading your family the way hers read you: of 22 people in our count who wrote about a woman visiting a boyfriend’s family home, 21 of them in one thread, 17 said they watch how his family receives them, 6 named his mother, and 3 said watch how he treats his own family. That is what they say they watch, not what decides whether a couple lasts. One wrote that if everyone in his home speaks to his mother like a stray dog, give up on him, because that’s how he’ll talk to you later. 6
Those women were visiting Thai boyfriends, so how a Thai woman reads a Western family is our reading, not their count. But two questions are worth preparing for: whether she feels welcome, and what she notices about how you treat your family.
How to prepare her for your family
Tell her who will be there, their names, and what they’ll ask: how you met, what she does, whether she’ll move. Tell her how your family talks. If they’re loud, tease each other, hug on arrival or argue at the table, tell her, and ask whether she’s fine with hugs. Tell her she can step outside with you for a break, and that you’ll step in, or leave with her, if anyone is rude to her.
How to prepare your family for her
Tell your family how you met before they ask, so the awkward question is already answered. If she’ll be speaking a second language in a room of strangers, you can tell them beforehand that a quiet guest may simply be taking it all in. If someone later says she seemed cold, don’t explain her for her: ask her how the day felt, and offer a second visit only if she wants one.
A family meeting works both ways. Tell your family before they meet her that quiet in a second language may just be the language, and ask her afterwards what felt welcoming and what didn’t.
Your turn
What surprised you when you met her parents, or she met yours?
If you’ve been through it, tell other readers the moment you didn’t expect: a question, a silence, a gift, a rule of the house, and what you did. Leave out names, places that identify anyone, and contact details.
The skills behind a good first meeting, reading what isn’t said and keeping face on both sides, run through the whole relationship. Our guide to relationship skills with a Thai partner covers the rest, and if you’re meeting her family between long stretches apart, see long-distance relationships with a Thai woman.
How we put this page together: In October 2026 we searched the Thai forum Pantip with about 35 everyday Thai phrasings (meeting a partner’s parents for the first time, parents who don’t like a partner, mother-in-law, father-in-law, a foreign son-in-law), saved 98 threads, read every title and coded the 139 people in the 11 threads whose subject fits (2016 to 2026), each person once, for what they wrote: advice, what the parents asked, what older people see as a good young person, what a woman visiting a boyfriend’s family reads, timing, staying over and parents who object. Found: of 47 who gave advice, 18 said bring a gift, 12 ask your partner first, 10 dress clean, 10 be yourself, 9 manners, 6 listen more, 5 help around the house, 4 no politics or religion; of 14 who said what the parents asked, 11 named the job or money, 5 your background, 5 your intentions; of 22 writing about a boyfriend’s family, 17 said they watch how his family receives them and 6 named his mother; of 13 on timing, 5 read a partner who won’t introduce you as not serious; of 14 on parents who object, 11 were in one thread about one woman, and 7 of the 11 who answered her said register the marriage anyway. Only 1 of the 139 says her own partner is foreign, so the counts show what comes up when Thai commenters talk about any partner, not how a family treats a Western man; none of the threads mentions English or a language barrier, and none gives a typical time to meeting the parents. We also read section 1437 of the Civil and Commercial Code on sin sod in the Royal Gazette (2024 amendment) and the 2019 reader comments on the old version of this page. These are people who chose to post: the counts show what they wrote, not how common anything is.
Why we made it: A man about to meet his Thai girlfriend’s parents finds etiquette lists (wai, shoes, fruit) and an old page of ours that made claims about Thai families we couldn’t back. We rebuilt it to answer what he will actually face, what her parents ask and watch, what to bring, what the meeting means to her, and what to do if they say no, from Thai people’s own words read in Thai, and added the meeting the other way round, when she meets his family.
References
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How this article was made
Researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources cited below, then reviewed, edited and fact-checked by a human editor before publishing. Every factual claim is tracked in our verification ledger.
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Comments
17Every comment is read by a person before it appears, usually within 48 hours. First names or pseudonyms only.
Hi all
Great reading your experiences
My story is like this. I’m dating a Thai girl we get along great the biggest problem is her mother. She doesn’t make a lot of money and mother always has a problem that involves money. If it’s not something broke it’s something else but it will involve money and the mother expects daughter to pay. When she moved back home the mother told her she needs to pay her for living there. The way I see it is the mother is using daughter for money. My question is how do I get my girlfriend to see what her mother is doing.
Check out the family you’re marrying them. Especially if she is youngest daughter she has undergone a lifetime of programming. I have watched them my in-laws in action on nieces they care for. Most would consider it nothing less than psychological abuse. Especially with girls who get whacked for trivial things while the boys get away with blue murder. Especially if they are old school lowly educated (village priimary, elementary) Isaan families. You wife is a tool of manipulation to get them what they think they can get from you. Never divulge personal income and savings with her. When together it is tough not too, but, she is basically their spy on you and any possible good fortune for them. They will want you to put your money into stupid ideas because they can’t think for themselves and do what likewise individual discuss over whiskey or hammock time. She will ask you too help for something leaving out the complete want list until your out shopping or what ever. Saying no is like relationship suicide, cold silent treatment, threats, her spending all time with parents, their mean nature comes out, they are like spoiled children who have to have what they want. Give them this and they are all smiles but it’s a course about to get running until the *thats enough*. I have two daughters, both born in Australia, the oldest looks like me and got bullied at school and picked at by extended family and friends. The youngest looks like mum and everyone thought she was fantastic. They have both learned the Isaan language now and my wife talks to them so I can’t understand what’s going on in my? family. Her Father acts like he’s the king. In his little world this family is lowest class in Thai culture. I tried to change this by fixing house, breeding wagyu (NOT brown Brahman, he likes brown Brahman) and I’m first in village but breeder in next village is Thai,
etc Controlling bully. Who has always trying to undermine any efforts I’ve made to make an income here or look after my family. I am not allowed to ever say anything as my wife has a liege majeste on me. Can never speak the truth or look after my own interests with My superannuation, they wanted me to purchase land off them to clear a debt made when they and other son inlaw built house on land without chanot. My wife should be entitled to this as inheritance. He saved in Korea and bought new car payed out, while I was sending them money for my step son was being used for everyone, wife’s sisters, nieces etc. I stopped it and get called miserly from extended family. I’m much older person than my wife but never given any respect that is shown to older Thai. I’m 6 maths older than mother in-law but my wife doesn’t think they should work, but I should to pay for them to sleep in hammocks and gossip.
The issue of money and Thai in-laws has been discussed so much it appears there is nothing to talk about anymore. It’s a contentious issue. Thai in-laws have been stereotyped into being money hungry mercenaries who don’t care for the happiness of their daughters. I don’t think this is true and smacks of too much generalization. There many happily married couples whose in-laws are not like that.
I think it is understandable that Thai in-laws expect their sons in law to adjust to life in Thailand. This is to be expected. I would expect my son in law to get on with the program as soon the wedding is done. The problem is that foreign husbands in Thailand expect some kind of special treatment. This is never going to happen. If you marry a Thai woman, you should be part of her family and culture.
I’m here to bust a myth that Thai in-laws are after your money. Lets be honest with ourselves. Most of us who end up in Thailand aren’t as well off as Bill Gates or Zuckerburg. Let’s put the notion of rich western men coming to sweep up Thai damsels where it belongs, in the non existing bag. Back to reality, your in-laws might ask for a hand here or there but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. You might be asked to do the same in any country.
Nothing makes Thai in-laws happier than their grandkids coming to visit. Lets be honest, it takes the limelight from you and you get to relax more. My in-laws want their grandkids to stay with them all the time. I’m not saying all Thai in-laws are like this but I’m sure most Thai parents behave this way. This is because Thai people have a very high sense of family.
I remember the first time I met my Thai in-laws. My father In law looked at me with an eye that dug into my soul. I knew what he was looking for. He was looking into my soul to see if he could trust me with his daughter. My mother In law was a bit different. She was busy making some of the tastiest food I had ever had. My in-laws did not care about my relationship with them. They were and still are concerned about the relationship I have with their daughter.
Adjusting to life in Thailand is just as hard as adjusting to dealing with your in-laws. Not only do you come very different cultures but they come from another generation. It is your duty as a son in law to see to it that your in-laws are comfortable around you. You cannot make them change their way of life for you. That would be very rude and unacceptable even in the west.
I wouldn’t agree with you about the looks. Thai in-laws might look at you curiously during the first meeting but you shouldn’t expect the same treatment on subsequent visits. Maybe they do this to make you feel comfocomfortable. But in my experience and my friends Thai in-laws aren’t at all worried about how we look. Thais might not speak English but most of them have come across or seen someone who looks like us.
I took my Thai wife to my home country for a couple of years. I still remember the apprehension my in-laws had when we made the decision. They were apprehensive but not against the idea. They were concerned for their daughter. I would be. Every parent would be. I would have been more concerned if they did show a shred of worry. I think it’s normal for Thai parents to be concerned when their daughters leave for foreign lands.
I remember my first meeting with my Thai in-laws. The whole thing boiled down to trust. They wanted to know if they could trust me with their daughter. They will tirelessly probe and dig your life. They want to make sure they are doing the right thing. I could understand this. I do not think they do this much probing if the relationship is between Thais. It is just that a cross cultural relationship gets more scrutiny.
I agree Thai families are traditional. Lets not confuse traditional with backwardness. Thai homes have the latest gadgets. The villages are connected to the internet. Any traditionalism is more ceremonial than skin deep. Thai families are traditional as far as it is convenient to them. This happens in all cultures.
While most foreign men married to Thai women that I have met have given me an earful about their in-laws nothing came close to their complaints about being forced to fit in. I usually get a good laugh out of this. I think the moment you decide to marry into another culture, you must be prepared for some form of integration into that culture. The fact of the matter is that if you don’t fit in, the relationship is guaranteed some rocky times.
I certainly agree that it’s not always about money with Thai in-laws. I can personally attest to this. My in-laws have never asked for money from me. They have gone out of their way to assist us live a comfortable life. While this might not be the norm I think most Thai parents are more interested in the happiness and safety of their daughters. This does not mean there are no Thai in-laws who will hound their sons in laws for money.
Thank goodness my family is very open-minded. I had little to no difficulty introducing my Thai girlfriend to my family. The only thing that had me in a pinch is my Thai girlfriend. She really seemed to be really intimidated about meeting my family. She thinks that they will not like her, so I had to explain to her that they are nice folks and that I kept talking about her to them when I have a chance.
Believe me, it’s very hard at the start, but once you get along well with them, I can assure you that you will feel like they are your second family. For me, I think it took almost a year and a half before I get my Thai wife’s family’s “approval”. I had to work hard and to show them how much I love their daughter and their country and culture. Well, if you really love your girl, no obstacle is too hard!
So, my girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for four years and we reached a point where we decided to take it a step further and create a family. At the start, I must admit that I thought the hardest part of a relationship was getting along with my girl without having silly fight about trivial matters because of cultural difference. Although it was annoying at sometimes, I learned to adapt to it and it eventually and slowly became a part of me.
I admit it, at first, it took me a while to get used to her behavior because of the huge difference in culture. Oftentimes, we would get into a fight which, when we both realize what the root cause is, we’d laugh it off. Anyways, everything went from rough to smooth as time passes by. As we learned more about each other, our relationship strengthened up to the point where we decided to take this one step further.
And so, we decided to let us meet each other’s parents. It’s an easy part for my girlfriend to meet my parents because I was very lucky to have an open-minded family. It’s an easy ride for me and my girlfriend because of that.
The hard part came when the time comes for me to meet her family. I was very nervous and I almost cannot sleep thinking about how should I act when meeting her family for the first time. I tried researching the net and this particular article came up. I’m very glad I found it. Although they’re technically still not my in-laws at the time, this helped me understand and somehow predict how they will act the first time they see me.
Fast forward to the present day, we are now married and the part now comes when I sometimes have to deal with my in-laws. It’s not really that hard once I showed them that I’m really serious about the relationship and building my family. Earning their trust surely helped a bunch. I also intensified that by trying to learn more about their culture, eating more of their native dish and trying to learn the language. It showed them that I really love my wife and that I’m putting an effort to close the cultural and language barrier gap that we have.
And since we had our first kid, I started to save up for my daughter’s school. Whenever I got home from work, I always try to play with her and teach her a few things and of course, teach her both Thai and English language. Right now, I can speak conversational Thai with ease and I think being able to completely understand what my Thai in-laws says certainly helped me earn their heart.
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