My partner and I have been together for over four years- however, my family and her have never met, due to the severely negative reaction of my parents upon learning of our relationship.

It has been almost four years since I told them we were together- we live 500 miles away from them, and my girlfriend just told me the other night she would be okay with me inviting them up to visit us and finally meeting after all this time.

I am worried- I know it has to happen eventually, and I want it to... I've wanted it to for a while, because I feel like the longer we avoid it the less chance there is of everyone ever getting along and being okay with each other. I don't even know if that's a possibility at this point, but I feel like I need to try.

My parents said they would come up if I invited them- and now I have the chance to, but I'm so afraid. Any advice or tips or comments from someone who's been in a similar situation would be appreciated. Not necessarily from a gay couple, even just the intitial meeting when you know the parents are not approving of the relationship. Did it ever get better? What happened? Were they civil? What should I expect?

Thanks for any insight any of you can give- I apprecaite it.

You know your parents better than anybody else on this site does. I hope that they'll be civil, but if not, then you have quite a problem on your hands. But if you think they'll behave, then chances are they love you enough to get over your partner. Remember that your parents will only ever want the best for you, and I sincerely doubt that they'd deliberately hurt your relationship.

It is always easier to be against something that you can't personalize. Hopefully when your parents meet your girlfriend they will see all the good characteristics that you see in her. Right now she is only "your girlfriend" to them. But after meeting her, their knowledge of her will have a lot more depth.

There is not guarantee that they will like each other, but there is never that guarantee in any relationship.