Meeting a new partner online is pretty standard these days, especially since the pandemic made it impossible to meet people the old-fashioned way.
A study from Stanford University backs up this claim, indicating that the number of people looking for partners online has skyrocketed since the early 2000s.
“Rosenfeld, a lead author of the research and a professor of sociology in the School of Humanities and Sciences, drew on a nationally representative 2017 survey of American adults and found that about 39 percent of heterosexual couples reported meeting their partner online, compared to 22 percent in 2009.”
Despite the prevalence of online dating in our culture, certain groups may be wary of online dating; particularly older generations who may not be as keen on technology as their younger counterparts. This potentially puts some people in a difficult spot when it comes to telling their family they met their new romantic interest online.
Safety is the Primary Concern
Some parents would rather stay out of their adult children’s love lives entirely. Thus, they may not be as concerned with how their children meet new romantic interests because they don’t want to steer them in any particular direction. Instead, they insist they’re only showing concern because they want to ensure their loved ones are safe.
This is why it’s good to put your family’s concerns to rest as early as possible when introducing this topic. Here are a few tips to help you do it:
- Share Any Evidence of Mutual Friends – If you and the person you’re pursuing have any mutual friends, it’s a great way to improve your family’s confidence that they are who they say they are. They will view this as something that shows some connection to people you already know and trust, which will ease their minds at least a little.
- Show Photos – You should have multiple photos of your interest to show your family before moving forward, even if it’s just a few PG photos from their online dating profile. Even if the relationship is casual, your loved ones will feel better if they at least see a picture of the person you’ve been hanging out with. After all, they don’t want you to end up in a “Catfish” scenario, so seeing that this is a real person can help ease their concerns a bit.
- Present Your Family With the Facts – Try to make your case as concise as possible, but present them with details about why meeting people online is far more common than it once was. It’s the primary way people meet in modern times and far safer than it was in the early stages of online dating.
Concerns Your Family May Bring Up
No matter how many details you bring to the table about the normality of online dating, your family may still present concerns about it. Many of those concerns are legitimate, and you should hear them out even if you ultimately don’t take their advice. Just respect their feelings and understand that they’re just trying to do what they think is best, even if you don’t always agree.
Reassure Them That You Know What You’re Doing
There are indeed dangerous people lurking around on the internet, and while the odds of becoming a victim are low, the risk is still there. Your family will naturally want to protect you from such dangers and will likely ask many questions about the people you’re meeting. Let them know that this isn’t your first rodeo and you know how to carefully vet potential partners before you meet in person. With the advent of social media, it has become far easier to tell a catfish from someone who is the real deal as long as you are savvy enough.
Mutual Respect Goes A Long Way
If you’ve met someone online and want to take the relationship to the next level, meeting your family in the middle is essential. That mutual respect will ensure they are accepting of your new romantic interests, which will make bringing them around a whole lot easier.
Good luck!
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