Ok, you’ve just passed the litmus test with your girlfriend’s parents and now you think you can relax. Do you think that the most influential people in her life have now approved you? You think that your work is done, right?
Every girl has her own coterie of friends and she shares everything with them. If you think they don’t matter; just watching one episode of Sex in the City would dissuade you from that notion. If nothing, they’re more important than the parents in some respects.
So how do you be friends with your Girl’s Friends?
1. Respect them: Your girl’s friends will have a great influence on her. Understand and respect that. Be nice to them, take serious interest in conversing with them and get to know them. They’ll sense if you dismiss them off the bat as inconsequential and if they take offense, things can get dicey for you.
2. Hang out with the girls: Nothing wrong with going out with a bunch of girls as long as you take your girlfriend along with you. Arrange a little break, relax and have fun with your girl and her friends. Let them see you as someone they can easily get along with and it’ll smooth the way for you. Having them in your corner will come in handy later on, trust that.
3. Maintain interest: Don’t single anyone out but be aware of her friends and their life. Listen to what your partner says about them and show genuine interest, asking questions and perhaps even helping them out if they need it. They might know your partner better than you do and that’ll prove useful when you need some advice.
4. Remember details: It might help to remember their birthdays and anniversaries, or you can cheat and mark them out on your phone or planner. A small message on such occasions will go a long way to show how much you want to be a part of your partner’s life. It’ll please them and it’ll please her to see you be so considerate and thoughtful.
5. Be nice to her: This one is absolutely vital. Always treat your girlfriend with respect and affection, especially when you’re in the company of her friends. If they even suspect you’re causing her any sort of grief, rightfully, they might look to lynch you. Friends are protective of each other and while she may forgive you for some offenses, her friends might never let it go and will always watch you like a hawk.
6. Don’t like them? Tolerate them: Despite your best efforts, you find you can’t like your partner’s friends, learn to accept them and keep your dislike to yourself. She won’t mind you not loving them as long as your don’t try to bad-mouth them or try to turn her thoughts against them. If you think they’re a bad influence on her, let her decide for herself and don’t interfere. She’s an adult and can make her own decisions and mistakes.In the end, her friends are just as important to her as your buddies are to you. As they say, do unto others like
you would have them do to you. If you want her to make nice with your friends, you need to make nice with hers.
