Introducing your partner to your family is often a huge milestone in a relationship because how well they are received will likely impact your decision to either progress to the next stage or end the relationship. Where your partner does not meet the expectations of your family, the conflict created can leave deep scars, some of which are irreparable. I spoke to three women who have experienced this and explored the impact of having to choose between love and family.
For Tola, choosing between love and family was a decision she never imagined she’d have to make. Having relatively progressive African parents, she believed they would be supportive of whoever she brought home, however this proved to be far from her reality when she met Damien*. She was immediately attracted to his kindness, warmth and sense of humour, but the conflict began almost immediately after her parents found out about him. As she describes, “They had negative stereotypes regarding men from Southern Africa, so they weren’t happy.”