Hey, everybody! My boyfriend and I have been dating about 8 months, but have been best friends for a year longer than that, and we've started marriage talk! He hasn't literally proposed to me yet... but we really wanted a ring that we designed ourselves, and so we've hired our local jeweler to design our ring for us, and she expects to have it done in about a month. So excited!!
The big problem: he is 11 years older than I am, and my parents can't stand him, because of it. They loved him when we were just friends, but as soon as we started dating, they decided that they couldn't stand to be around him. A lot of this, I suspect, is that my parents don't have a happy marriage... and my grandmother (mom's mom) recently told me to stay away from boys so I don't "ruin my life forever" by getting married!!
The problem, obviously, is that I anticipate a huge argument, when I tell them that we're engaged. My boyfriend really wanted to sit my dad down to "ask for my hand" and as much as I love the romance of the idea, I don't want my mom to have something to complain about (being left out of the decision-making... she's a control freak), and I also don't want him to have to take the worst of it. So should bf and I sit them down and tell them together, or should I try to tell them myself? I hate the thought of him needing to face their full wrath, but I also want him to be a part of my family, the good and the bad, and if he's willing to face them, I'd love his support in this.