Because of the way that our culture was for so long, there are some parents who may not be onboard with black women looking for white men or other similar situations. Because of that, you want to make sure that you keep your parents in mind when you start your relationship. What can you do in order to make it easier on everyone involved? How can you ensure that it isn’t the beginning of a stressful relationship? That’s what we’re going to take a look at here.
Approach the topic with your family before you start dating. One of the worst things for you to do is to approach the topic with your family and blindside them. Don’t be like “Hey, so I’m dating a Hispanic girl now, dad” and expect things to go well. Now granted, in today’s world it would go a little more smoothly with some families, and many parents would be like “so, what? Are you happy?” But, unfortunately, not all parents would be that way. So, be gentle when you approach the topic and don’t toss it in their face randomly over Sunday dinner.
Bring friends of different backgrounds around your family when possible. Do you have friends that are of different races? Most of us do, and most of our families already know our friends. See how they interact with them and, when they aren’t around, ask your parents how they feel about those friends. You can learn a lot about how your parents are going to react to interracial dating if you see how they react to interracial friendships first – testing the waters could be a great way for you to figure things out ahead of time.
Be patient with whatever happens. Sometimes, it takes time for the people in your lives to get used to what is going on. Because of that, you have to patient with your family so that they can adapt. If you continue to bring your partner to different functions or talk about and interact with them alongside of your family, then you’re going to help them realize that this person is pretty fantastic, no matter who they are or what they may look like. But remember, one of the best ways for you to get your family acclimated is to be patient and kind with them during the process. Don’t go to the next step unless you are not seeing any progress at all.
But, be firm about how you feel. You can’t let your family run your life when it comes to that particular relationship – or any, unless it’s abusive or harmful to you in some way. So, if your family seems to be insistent that they are never going to like this other person you may have to put your foot down and say that they are going to have to adapt in some way. Be kind, but be firm – you may realize that it makes a huge difference when it comes to talking about the relationship.
There are a lot of things that you can do in order to help your parents get used to the idea of you being in an interracial relationship. Have you ever had problems with your parents or other members of your family when it comes to your particular needs? Or have you had to employ some of the techniques that we’ve mentioned here, or did you go about it a different way with your family? It can be a really sensitive subject, so sharing your thoughts and experiences here could make a big difference to others who may be struggling too.