My mom says that the most important step in a relationship was meeting her parents. Not like these days when teenagers can just about date anybody they want without their parent's permission, but in my mom's case, you had to get the parent's approval first. She said that it's the most crucial because first impression counts the most. My mom would recall back and tell me that her suitors used to bring all kinds of food for her family. She said that he would slowly become part of the family because he would always be there bringing food for the family and helping out her little sisters. Now in my generation, the parents would be lucky to see who their kids are dating just for the fact that meeting the parents is too much to handle for the first time. A lot of teens now do not introduce their date because of the fact that their parents might embarrass them in front of their date. A lot of people also do not want to meet their dates" parents because it puts a lot of pressure on them in setting their first impression. I can remember the first time I met my girlfriend's parents. My palms were sweating and I can hear my heart beating right before I met them. I stood straight and introduced myself as they walked up to me. It wasn't too bad after that because after getting to know them, I found out that they were really nice. Once in a while, I would bring them some food just to be on the safe side. After they got to know me a little bit better, they approved of me and everything is smooth sailing after that.
Dating definitely puts more pressure on teens thirty years ago than now. Even though my mom had it easy having guys go through a lot for her just to date her, I"m glad that I grew up when I did. Maybe dating for my future kids will be a lot easier. Maybe they"ll have a handheld device telling you if somebody is checking you out or likes you. So that way you won't have to waste your time flirting with somebody that doesn't even think you"re cute.