Meeting Our Son's Girlfriend - [The Courtship Series #19]

Transcript

Okay, sweetheart, you sure I look all right? Well, I know you like it when I dress like this. What I'm saying, though, I mean, you like me all messy from working on the car.

So there is, there is that. I didn't say you have poor taste. Peculiar taste.

Or maybe it's just that you're in love with me. I'm just as crazy about you as I was the day I married you. Even more so.

You know that? Yeah, you look phenomenal. You look amazing, sweetheart.

Radiant is what I would say. You look as beautiful as you always have. But stop making this about you.

This is about me. Do I look all right? Do I look presentable? Okay, maybe presentable is not the right word.

So what if I'm a little bit anxious? Honey, this is not just, this is not just meeting a new neighbor. This is not just meeting a new work colleague or something like that.

This is a bigger deal. This is our son we're talking about and he's been, he's been off of college for a few years and we just don't get to see him as much as we used to. And he's bringing his girlfriend this time.

And yeah, it's a big deal for me. Well, these two have been together for a couple years now and we still haven't, I still haven't had a chance to meet her. I wanted to, sweetheart.

You know that. But the one time that he had a break that, that she was able to come out here. You know, it really sucks when, when work travel lines up like that and keeps you from doing the things you want to do.

And I'm really glad that you got a chance to meet her. I just, you know, I'm a little bit anxious, I guess. Why is that funny? Okay, well, first off, no, because usually when someone is nervous in a situation like this, it's when the dad has a daughter and it's her boyfriend that's meeting dad for the first time.

It's usually not as big a deal for it, for it to be my son bringing his girlfriend. I don't think that she would be nearly as intimidated about getting my approval. I think she would be more worried about getting yours.

Think about all the stories of mothers-in-law who no girl is ever going to be good enough for their sweet little boy, right? It's, it's, that's a thing that ladies are going to worry about, is a disapproving mother-in-law. For men, it's a little bit different.

For men, it's, well, it's like when I met your dad, right? I came in there and, you know, I'm a, I'm a confident guy, but I was very nervous because you're his little angel. And he needs to know as a dad, as the man of the house, as the provider and the protector, he needs to know that the man that you have chosen to have in your life is going to provide and protect and be what any dad wants his daughter to have.

So the fact that she's already been out here before, you met her, you approved, that all, I think, I don't think she's going to be nervous because she already knows you and she knows that you like her, right? For me, on the other hand, you know, I don't know. I don't know why it's affecting me this strongly, why I'm this nervous about meeting her.

From what you've told me and from what he's shared, it sounds like he's made a really good choice, really good choice with this girl. She is, from what I've seen in the texts I've had of her, she's sharp as a tack, she's sweet. I think she takes good care of him.

I don't know. I guess I still kind of just want to see the dynamic between them. He's always been a thoughtful boy, but he's strong.

He's authoritative. He knows when it's the right time to take the lead and when it's the right time to follow. I think he's really good at that, and he needs to know that in a relationship.

He needs to be able to lead and to follow at the right times. But does she know that? Or is she one of these girls that, once she gets overly familiar, wants to micromanage him and direct everything that he does, whether or not he needs the direction?

Is she one of these people that is just never content? Nothing's ever going to be good enough? Or is she everything that he hopes she is, everything he tells me she is? You're right.

We've raised a good, good man. I think he gets that level-headedness from you. Me? I don't know.

I feel like I'm kind of volatile. Of course I'm kidding. I think he has a lot of the best traits from both of us, from each of us.

And I'm really proud of the man that he's become. I do, darling. I do trust him to make a good decision.

Oh, who knows? Probably just me being silly. It could be the stress of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Yeah, it factors in. Well, think about it. She has elected not to have Thanksgiving with her family.

She's come to have it with us. Well, I think that puts pressure on us, at least I feel that way, because she's probably got all sorts of traditions and fond memories of Thanksgiving, and she's decided to forgo those to make new memories with us this year. And so I just, I feel like there's a high bar for us to measure up to.

Well, you're right. I don't know what her past Thanksgivings have been like. I don't know if her family is dysfunctional or, you know, picturesque.

I don't. But common things being common, she probably does have some family traditions that mean something to her. And if we want to have a good time with her and have her want to come back and have her happy that she decided to be with us, then we need to do things right.

No, I don't think that means that we need to outdo her family. I don't think we could. I don't think we're in a competition with them.

I just, I don't know. I think that we need to make sure that we've done what we need to to make a good impression. And I guess part of it is because at this point, I think it's likely that this is our future daughter-in-law.

And if we want to have them split their Thanksgivings between our house and her parents' house, at least, you know, during their early years.