Meeting a partner’s parents for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. However, stereotypically, it’s more intimidating for a boyfriend to be introduced to his girlfriend’s father.
That’s because dads and daughters have a special relationship. Fathers are fiercely protective over their little girls, and the need to make a good first impression on them can be stressful for even the coolest customer. That notion has never been more evident than in a TikTok that’s gone viral on the popular video-sharing platform.
In the 28-second clip, uploaded by Tam (username @tamsimon3), a man is seen sitting on the floor with a borderline crazy look on his face. The on-screen caption reads, “My dads first time meeting my sisters boyfriend,” and the video’s description says, “I want him to think I’m insane” (the latter seemingly being a direct quote from the gentleman in the video).
The gentleman in question is Tam’s father, and he’s waiting to meet her sister’s new boyfriend, who can be seen standing to his left (on the right of the video as you look at it). When they make eye contact, the boyfriend sheepishly approaches the father and shakes his hand before cautiously backing off with an unconvincing smile on his face. The father never gets up off the floor or changes his unsettling expression at any point. In the background, a lady (presumably the man’s wife) can be heard saying, “Terry, if you don’t stop!” The humorous interaction prompted has been seen millions of times, and the TikTok community has reacted to it in their thousands.
How did TikTok react?
A couple of brave souls criticized the dad for not standing to shake his daughter’s boyfriend’s hand. Comments of that nature included, “Got to shake my hand while standing . I’m not playing that . No matter whose house it is,” and “UNC was never shaking my hand sitting down.”
Most people recognized (not least from the video’s description) that the dad was joking, with many likening the situation to the 2005 movie Guess Who (a loose remake of 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner). Some comments doing that included, “Reminds me of the movie “GUESS WHO” lol,” “This gonna turn into Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher: guess who,” “It’s given “Guess who” Bernie Mac,” “Guess who vibes lmao,” “Reminded me of that movie guess who with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher,” and “I’m getting the movie “Guess Who” with Bernie Mac & Ashton Kutcher vibes. They’re gonna be homeboys for life.”
Others who noted the father’s humor wrote things like, “He is obviously joking. don’t see nothing wrong with this haha,” “Bro people here complaining and they never been on a house where jokes can be like this lmao, I bet he was fine and joking after the video,” “I don’t which is funnier, the video or the comments… It’s clearly a joke ..If that was my dad I would have been on the floor laughing,” “He‘s obviousky messing around with him and i love it,” and “I bet he is a great Dad and likes to prank everyone.”
Some found the boyfriend’s reaction funny, writing things like, “Bro backing up just in case pops flips,” “Take 2 steps back right after that hand Jake [sic],” and “The way he took those couple of steps back.” According to MarketWatch, on average, millennials introduce their partners to their parents after just 10 weeks of dating. However, relationship experts say that’s too fast and to leave it a little longer. We’re sure the guy in the video wouldn’t have complained if he’d been given a few extra weeks to prepare!
Published: Dec 8, 2024 08:34 am