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" You&amp;#039;ve met Mr. Right, and everything is damn near perfect. There&amp;#039;s just one problem: Mama and Papa Right. Put simply, they don&amp;#039;t like you \u2014 and they&amp;#039;re not exactly shy about it. &amp;quot;Not only is it unpleasant for you to have to spend time with these people, but you also may worry that their disapproval could influence your guy&amp;#039;s feelings for you,&amp;quot; says therapist Lee Schnebly, author of Being Happy Being Married. How do you get along so it&amp;#039;s not so freakin&amp;#039; awkward? We&amp;#039;ve come up with a plan to handle those pain-in-the ... er, we mean, his parents. Step 1: Get Where They&amp;#039;re Coming From Come on, how could anyone not love you? Well, experts say the most likely explanation is fear. &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s an innate protective instinct to shut out the &amp;#039;intruder&amp;#039; who&amp;#039;s invading their family,&amp;quot; says Schnebly. Also, jealousy could be the issue. &amp;quot;His mom may feel that she&amp;#039;s being replaced,&amp;quot; says Bree Allinson, Ph.D., author of How to Deal with Your Mother-in-Law. So reassure her that she&amp;#039;s still number one by asking her for advice on your guy (like how to cook his favorite meal). Another explanation: In many cases, parents feel threatened if you come from a different background. &amp;quot;Your values and religion may conflict with their own,&amp;quot; says Allinson. &amp;quot;They might worry that you&amp;#039;ll influence their son.&amp;quot; Without sacrificing your beliefs, show that you&amp;#039;re open to learning about theirs, so it&amp;#039;s clear that the two can coexist.  Step 2: Don&amp;#039;t Try to Be Best Friends You don&amp;#039;t have to be buddy-buddy with his folks; you just have to get along. In fact, if you&amp;#039;re too eager to please, it could come across as fake and ass-kissy. On the other hand, don&amp;#039;t act in awe of them. Avoid the urge to force a familial relationship; these people are still essentially strangers. &amp;quot;Think of them as equals, not superiors,&amp;quot; advises Schnebly. &amp;quot;You&amp;#039;ll feel more at ease and really be yourself.&amp;quot; Step 3: Make It Clear You Care About Him Parents&amp;#039; main concern is their child&amp;#039;s well-being, so they need reassurance that you won&amp;#039;t break their poor boy&amp;#039;s heart. &amp;quot;They won&amp;#039;t want to connect with you if they think you&amp;#039;re not there to stay,&amp;quot; says Leonard Felder, Ph.D., author of Wake Up or Break Up. Some suggestions: Hold his hand, kiss his cheek, or share a story about how he made you laugh. Once they know your feelings are authentic, they&amp;#039;ll begin to trust you.  Step 4: Last Resort If after all that, his parents are still being evil, stand up for yourself. &amp;quot;If you refuse to be pushed around, they&amp;#039;ll show you the respect that you deserve,&amp;quot; says therapist Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of Toxic In-Laws. The next time they&amp;#039;re rude, Forward suggests saying, &amp;quot;Look, I don&amp;#039;t ask that you love me, but I&amp;#039;d like it if we could at least be civil.&amp;quot; Lay down the law now, because if you decide to marry this guy, the problems are only going to escalate.  Bonus: How to Wow His &amp;#039;Rents These three phrases will help you dazzle his mom and dad.... &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;ve heard such great things about you!&amp;quot; This surefire line not only butters up his parents but makes your sweetie look good too. &amp;quot;What was he like as a kid?&amp;quot; Get them chatting about their all-time favorite subject \u2014 their son \u2014 and they&amp;#039;ll be too distracted to notice you nervously biting your nails. &amp;quot;It was so nice of you to invite me to your home/to dinner.&amp;quot; Saying thank you shows that you&amp;#039;re a girl with manners and lets them know how honored you are to be included. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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