According to a new survey which has polled father-in-laws to find out how long it takes for them to approve of their son-in-law!
- The study reveals it takes father-in-laws 3 months to approve their son-in-law
- Almost one in five said they would tell their child if they didn’t approve of their partner
- Showing respect for the family is the best way to win over your partner’s dad
We’ve all been there – the sweaty palms and excited butterflies that inevitably come when you meet your partner’s parents for the first time.
A new survey1, conducted by greetings card marketplace, thortful.com, has looked to reveal the time it takes father-in-laws to approve of their son/daughter’s partner, revealing that the average amount of time is 3 months. The study quizzed 1,000 father-in-laws across the UK on how long it takes for them to approve of their son-in-law, as well as the attributes that are most important to them.
How long does it take father-in-laws to realise you are a good fit for their son/daughter?
It was found that a quarter of father-in-laws (25%) said they actually approved of their son/daughter partner from the first moment they met them, with just less than one in 10 (9%) taking 7 months or longer to approve.
The survey also went on to reveal that almost two-fifths (37%) said that they are happy with who their son/daughter is in a relationship with. More than one in 10 (11%) went on to say that they don’t believe their son/daughter needs their dad’s approval on their partners, with it completely being their choice.
On the other hand, almost one in five (19%) said they would tell their child if they didn’t like their partner, and 16% said they have actually told their child in the past if they haven’t approved of who they are with.
The top ways to win over your father-in-law:
When asked about the most important things that their child’s partners should do to get their seal of approval, the most popular attributes were:
- Show respect to my family (24%)
- To be family orientated (24%)
- Take the time to build a relationship with me (18%)
- Be there during tough times (17%)
- Show desire to learn more about my child (15%)
Looking at some of the other important factors, 8% said that their potential son-in-law should laugh at their jokes, spend lots of money on their child (8%) and go to the pub with them (7%).
What you should avoid doing in front of your father-in-law:
When asked when their childs partner/spouse should avoid doing in order to the get their seal of approval, the top answers from the dads surveyed were:
- Being disrespectful (26%)
- Have a bad attitude (22%)
- Being fake-nice (19%)
- Forgetting manners (15%)
- Being a know-it-all (14%)
- Not speaking to our family (14%)
Some of the other attributes that are best avoided were, getting drunk (13%), swearing in front of them (13%), and having sex in the family home (10%).
More information on the study can be found here: https://www.thortful.com/blog/dads-approval/
