Grandma: Would you like to stay forever?
In an ideal situation, parents love their children and want them to do well. And as their children grow and mature, this means hoping that they get married, have children of their own, and continue the family, as well as getting decent jobs to help support themselves.
It is common in both fiction and real life for parents to disapprove of their offspring's romantic choices. Indeed, for a great deal of human history, Arranged Marriages were the preferred method of vetting a child's romantic partner. However, with this often resulting in putting political alliances and financial concerns above compatibility, this has largely fallen out of favor in the modern world, where people are free to choose their own romantic partner, at least in large parts of the world.
However, many parents still want to vet the person interested in their child, and will keep an eye out for potential problems, like lazy personalities, moral ambiguities, and criminal histories. In short, most parents seem predetermined to disapprove of their child's romantic choices.
Then there are these cases. The parents have met with their child's romantic interests, and they like them. They give their approval, either openly or at least tacitly. Indeed, sometimes a relationship is not yet in effect, but it's clear that the pair would be compatible, and the parent will give the romantic interest a nudge in the right direction.
Of course, they may still remind them of the consequences of If You Ever Hurt Her. There may also still be a degree of Twerp Sweating by fathers, trying to maintain a balance of power.
Could involve an Engagement Challenge, although it's not uncommon for the parents to regret the winner of such a contest.
May also cross over with Open-Minded Parent and Good Parents. Amazingly Embarrassing Parents may ensue if they're a little too excited to meet their children's partner.
If biological parents are not around, either missing in action or long dead, a Parental Substitute will do, either in a Family of Choice or grandparents.
Since fiction would tell us that All Girls Want Bad Boys, this can actually be a bad thing for clean-cut, kindhearted young men in a Played for Laughs sort of way, when a girl hears that her parents approve of the boy she's dating, leading her to unceremoniously dump him.
Compare Self-Proclaimed In-Law, where the parents approve of the relationship too quickly. Compare Parent-Preferred Suitor when there's someone they want their child to be involved with, but it's not happening.
Contrast Dating What Daddy Hates.
Examples:
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You:
- Hahari was initially against Rentarou dating her daughter Hakari due to thinking that he was an unfaithful five-timer. After Rentarou passes a Lie Detector test and saves Hakari’s life when she attempts suicide, Hahari gives Rentarou her blessing.
- Chiyo’s father Hiro responded to Rentarou saving him from being hit by a truck by arranging for him and his daughter to become a couple once she was old enough. He put his plan in motion early when he noticed Rentarou walking to school with a steadily increasing number of other girls.
- Kusuri’s father approves of Rentarou dating Kusuri, but wants him to dump all the other girls he’s seeing alongside her.
- Karane’s parents congratulate their daughter on having a boyfriend when they meet Rentarou at their house.
- When Trying to Get Back at the Hometown Bullies, Another Battle Began: Kotaro's mother approves of Akari's crush on him, largely because she is actually quite similar to Akari and also used to play punishment games with her husband. She even gives Akari some tips.
- Magic of Stella: Shiina's mom openly declares in front of Shiina's female friends that she's completely fine if her daughter gets into a same-sex relationship. She even told Ayame to marry her daughter when they were little.
- The Dragon and the Butterfly: While there was a bit of a rocky start (what with everyone thinking Toothless was a bloodthirsty monster and all), the Madrigals all warm up to Hiccup within a week of his arrival in the Encanto. Thus, when he and Mirabel develop feelings for one another, the entire family is on board... almost a little too much.
- Dragon Boy: Both Jermaine's parents and Rose's parents want the two teens to be together. To say both sets of parents are excited when it finally does happen is an understatement.
- Duran and Kiyohime's Omake Theater: Very much Played for Laughs. Natsuki comes home to find Shizuru pacing nervously, and Shizuru reveals that she sent her mother a letter, explaining her relationship with Natsuki, and worrying about the response, which she's expecting on that day. Natsuki points out how ridiculous it is that Shizuru knows her mother well enough to know exactly which day to expect a reply, but not have any inkling of what the reply will be. Shizuru's mother wrote "Congratulations on coming out of the closet. It's about time. All of that angsty suffering in silence is unbecoming for a Fujino. Bring her to meet us on your next break if she can come." Natsuki grins and says she thinks she's going to like Shizuru's mother.
- Fairy Friends: At the end of "Sun and Fun," Jermaine's mother gasps, smiles broadly, gives him a Bear Hug, and says how proud she is of him after he tells her that Tootie and Trixie are now his girlfriends. After he admits to expecting her to disapprove of him having two girlfriends, his mother tells him she'd accept his new relationships as long as he, Tootie, and Trixie were always honest with each other. His mother follows that up by snapping pictures of him and his girlfriends as a way to celebrate his milestone.
- Inter Nos: Natsuki's biological family is long dead, but she was adopted by King Kruger of Otomeia and he adores her, but also ensures that she earns her position as Captain of the elite Lupine Division. When it is apparent that General Shizuru Fujino of Hime has developed romantic feelings for Natsuki, King Kruger agrees to the relationship and signs her over legally to Shizuru's care, hoping that it will help cement the relationship between the two nations for a long time to come. He also wants Natsuki to be happy, as he knows that while her people revere her prowess in combat, they think her strange in the head due to her Elective Mute status.
- Kanto Kickups: In "The Knot Island," Jermaine's parents assume he's going to begin a romantic relationship with Leaf after he tells them he's going on a vacation in the Sevii Islands with her. This makes Jermaine a little flustered.
- The Spectacular Spider-Man: Lost in Gotham: After Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn become Mary Jane's legal guardians, Peter and MJ realize they have feelings for one another and begin dating. Despite Ivy giving Peter the shovel talk, she and Harley both approve of the two teens dating.
- In Teaching Lessons
, Gabriel Agreste (who in this story is a Secret Secret-Keeper to Adrien and is not Hawk Moth) gives his son advice on how to woo Ladybug.
- Their Hero Academia: Rise of the New Generation: Mika's parents approve of her new lover Shinji when she invites him to a celebratory dinner following her getting second place at the Sports Festival, though her father has to grill him relentlessly first.
- True Potential:
- After the Kiri Civil War Arc (which is when they had their Relationship Upgrade), Naruto and Hinata return to Konoha, with the former then asking for Hiashi's permission to date his daughter. After thinking about it, the Hyuga Clan head gives his approval on the condition that Naruto has to be by Hinata's side so she can achieve her goals. The Uzumaki instantly and wholeheartedly accepts because she means the world to him. A few years later, in Chapter 99, Hiashi's appreciation of Naruto has increased to the point that he gives his blessing to the Uzumaki when it comes to marrying Hinata, much to Naruto's surprise given that he hasn't even asked for his blessing yet and even thinks that Hiashi is getting a little ahead of himself.
- When Shikamaru invites Kurotsuchi for dinner, his parents pretty much already assume that she's his girlfriend, despite his insitance that she's not. Naturally, they have no problem over their son dating the Iwa shinobi following the latter two's Relationship Upgrade.
- During the Shimogakure/Iwagakure Arc, Shikamaru meets Kitsuchi for the first time, whose daughter is Kurotsuchi. After having a conversation with Shikamaru, Kitsuchi ends up being fine with the idea of his daughter dating the Konoha shinobi. Much like Hiashi with Naruto, Kitsuchi asks Shikamaru to stay by Kurotsuchi's side should she ever need him, with the Nara also accepting to do so.
- The Ultimate Test: After Jermaine tells Hugh and Lila about his crush on Sissy, the two parents encourage Jermaine to tell Sissy how he feels. At the end of the story, the parents walk in and look on with warm smiles after Jermaine and Sissy have The Big Damn Kiss and a Relationship Upgrade during their Valentine's Day movie marathon. Once Jermaine and Sissy tell the latter's mother about their new romantic relationship, Mrs. Blakely embraces the two preteens in a Group Hug that soon becomes a Bear Hug because of how tightly Mrs. Blakely squeezes them.
- What Goes Around Comes Around: Played for Horror with the Agrestes; both decide they're on board with Adrien hooking up with Marinette, but only on their terms — to the point that they plan to make a reality-altering Wish that will merge Adrien and Felix into their idealized son, with Marinette forced to marry him.
- Aladdin (1992, Disney): The Sultan approves of Aladdin twice over, first as Prince Ali, but then later when he meets him as Aladdin, Aladdin has already risked his life to save Jasmine and The Sultan from Jafar, demonstrated cunning by tricking Jafar into trapping himself, and demonstrated his selflessness and honesty by keeping his word to free the Genie, rather than restore himself as a Prince.
Sultan: Well, am I Sultan, or am I Sultan? From henceforth, the Princess shall marry whomever she deems worthy.
- The Prince of Egypt: Not only is Jethro ecstatic about Moses and Tzipporah's relationship, but as the high priest, he's also the one to officially marry them.
- Shrek 2: When King Harold first finds out that his daughter is dating an ogre, he's so disapproving that he hires an assassin to kill Shrek. As he grows more and more uncomfortable with the Fairy Godmother's machinations, however, he slowly warms up to the idea, and during the climax he sacrifices his own "happily ever after" to save Shrek and Fiona's and kill the Fairy Godmother, at the cost of reverting back to his original form (though his wife chooses to stay married to him since she loves him for who he is). Expressing his regret, he gives Shrek both a heartfelt apology and his blessing to be with Fiona. While Fiona's mother, Queen Lilian, is equally surprised at the relationship, she gives her approval immediately upon seeing how happy Fiona is with Shrek.
- Almost an Angel: Rose's mother approaches Terry and informs him that she is giving him her explicit blessing for him to "make a pass" at her daughter, seeing that Rose has started to feel attracted to Terry, but won't make a move herself out of feeling like she has to be there for her terminally ill brother, Steve. Steve also seems to approve of Terry and his sister, completely averting My Sister Is Off-Limits.
- Back to the Future 1: Marty knows he's completely altered the timeline at the end of the film when his mother offers her explicit approval of Marty's girlfriend Jennifer, whom she'd definitely been against in the original timeline at the start of the film.
- Crazy Rich Asians: Implied. After spending the entire film disapproving of Rachel being with her son, Eleanor learns Rachel has given up Nick willingly because she does not want to come between Nick and his family. When Rachel is about to head back to America, Nick finds her on the plane and proposes again, this time with his mother's emerald engagement ring, showing she has approved the match after all.
- In the French short film "Meet My Family
", a young couple named Sarah and Marvin go to meet Sarah's family for the first time. While Sarah's verbally abusive mother and Napolean-esque stepfather are overly critical of the couple, Sarah's kind aunts and fun-loving grandmother give the couple their blessing, welcoming Marvin with open arms.
- In Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines Lord Rawnsley immediately gives his consent for Richard to marry his daughter...
Rawnsley: Well, are you intending to propose to her?
Richard: Well, with your permission, sir.
Rawnsley: My dear fellow, you can take that for granted. Your father was at school with me.
- High School D×D: Apart from needing a small dose of hypnotism the first time they caught their son naked in bed with Rias on top of him, Issei's parents seem rather cheerful as he turns into a Clueless Chick-Magnet with girl after girl moving in with him. Of course they also just blithely accept their house being renovated into a mega-mansion overnight to accommodate everyone, so it might be Parental Obliviousness instead. It's not. They're completely aware Issei is up to something bizarre with all the smokeshows he's bringing home. But since their precious son is the happiest he's ever been, his parents welcome the girls with open arms and simply don't care about the details.
- My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!:
- When Catarina helps repair the rift between Maria and her mother, which came about after Maria's father believed his wife had an affair and then left in anger, it is shown that Maria's mother is aware of her daughter's attraction to Lady Catarina Claes. She gives her daughter a knowing Wistful Smile, and later it is said that her mother provides Maria with recipes explicitly to try for Lady Catarina (likely trying to invoke Through Her Stomach).
- While Catarina is betrothed to Prince Geordo, her mother Millidiana is increasingly worried about Catarina's lack of noble decorum since the latter's head bump at eight, which she considers to be akin to a Childhood Brain Damagenote , especially when Sorcier's lack of primogeniture means Catarina is a potential queen consort. Millidiana would rather have Catarina marry the latter's adopted brother Keith, if they can walk away from the betrothal without repercussions, as Keith has been acting as Catarina's Cloudcuckoolander's Minder since he was adopted.
- A Tall Order: Implied. Bonnie introduces Jermaine to her parents after he arrives at the big Halloween party she throws at her house. Her parents each happily shake Jermaine's hand. They're excited to meet him and thank him for going to the Homecoming dance with Bonnie. All of that catches Jermaine off-guard.
- The Big Bang Theory:
- Penny's father Wyatt actually approves of her relationship with Leonard Hofstadter, which Penny herself lampshades. Out of all the guys Penny has dated and Wyatt has met, Leonard is the one guy he approves of since he went to college, has a long-time and good-paying job. Not to mention, no outstanding warrants. During the brief moment when Leonard and Penny broke up, she lied to her father in the knowledge they got back together, as Wyatt kept badgering her on the subject. In fact, after everyone comes clean about the situation and having a moment alone with Leonard, Wyatt begs Leonard not to give up on his daughter, as he can't bear the thought of his daughter going back to the usual losers and idiots Penny used to date. He does pretend to yell at Leonard to give him the edge of being a "forbidden" romance to Penny.
- Howard is concerned that when he tells his very Jewish mother that he's planning on proposing to the Catholic Bernadette, she won't take it well. Indeed, after he breaks the news, his mother faints. It turns out she fainted due to food poisoning, thinks Bernadette is a "wonderful girl" who will take good care of Howard, and gives the relationship her full blessing.
- Mary Cooper approves of Sheldon dating Amy, and later marrying her. But she initially had to use some reverse psychology to get Sheldon on board with the idea, pretending to oppose the relationship initially. Her act is so transparent that it's a wonder only Leonard realizes what she'd done.
- Castle: Castle zigzags this. He accidentally engages in Twerp Sweating with his daughter's first boyfriend, Ashley, coming home with an antique pistol which is related to the current case he's involved in. Ashley gives a nervous speech about utterly respecting Alexis Castle before retreating, with Castle saying, "I like him. He's respectful." He does make up for it later, being supportive of the relationship. But when it turns into a long-distance relationship, it fizzles out. Then Alexis brings home a flakey young man named Pi, and Castle is much less supportive, to the point Alexis moves out. But she eventually sees that Castle was right about Pi, though she acknowledges in a rant to celebrity Mandy Sutton that Pi has done nothing wrong, but that they're not compatible, with the relationship ending in a breakup.
- The Gilded Age: At the end of season 3, both George and Bertha encourage their son Larry to reconcile with Marian, because they recognize that the two could be a good match despite the communication failure that ruined their engagement. George has always liked Marian, but Bertha had previously been against the match. She came around after she witnessed Marian's determination to help after George got shot.
- House of Anubis: Because Mara is the one helping Jerome confront and bond with his previously Disappeared Dad John gets to know her as well as he gets to know his own children, whom he hadn't seen in years. He quickly turns into a Shipper on Deck for Jerome and Mara, and is even the one who encourages Jerome to pursue her, recognizing his son's obvious crush. He's watching proudly when Jerome and Mara finally kiss in the season finale.
- Leverage: Parker was from a foster home (which she blew up), but was eventually taken in by Classy Cat-Burglar Archie Leach. Archie trained her to be the world's greatest thief. However, he didn't take her home to raise as a normal child, and he acknowledges this shortcoming in "The Last Dam Job" when he tells Parker he approves of her relationship with Hardison.
Archie: Not that it should matter, but I approve of your young gentleman.
Parker: It does matter. - Mimpi Metropolitan:
- Implied in episode 9, where Melani's mom visits her, spends a day with Bambang who is in love with Melani, and ends the episode asking him to take care of Melani. It gets explicitly confirmed in her second visit in episode 61, where Bambang and Melani have gotten together, and she immediately approves and helps them solve their relationship problem.
- In episode 61, Bambang's father Slamet phones him the moment he is told that Bambang and Melani are now a couple to congratulate him, having known and encouraged Bambang's feelings back in episodes 40 and 41.
- My Wife and Kids: Michael likes Claire's boyfriend Tony because he is nice and respectful. So naturally Claire dumps him and dates a much more disrespectful boy. This confuses Michael until Janet tells him girls don't like dating boys their father approves of. Luckily, she dumps him and goes back to Tony.
- Seinfeld: Jerry dates a girl who seems perfect, except for some reason, all of his friends, and her friends, act like there's something seriously wrong with her. Jerry feels like he's in an episode of The Twilight Zone and as a last-ditch effort to prove he hasn't gone crazy, tries introducing the girl to his parents. They think she's great, which kills the attraction for Jerry.
- Star Trek:
- Star Trek: The Next Generation: Beverly Crusher in the episode "Evolution" is quite pleased to see Wesley on a date with a girl in Ten-Forward but then asks Guinan what she knows about the girl.
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the episode "The Abandoned" Commander Sisko isn't too thrilled at first about his son Jake dating a dabo girl named Mardah but changes his mind about her once he has dinner with Jake and Mardah and allows the relationship to go forward without any interference from him.
- Wizards of Waverly Place: In the four-part arc "Wizards Versus Vampires", Justin falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of the Russo family's new business rivals... who are also a family of vampires. The first two episodes show Justin and Juliet trying to get the approval of each others' parents so they can date. By the end, when the parents realize that they're being silly in letting their competition hurt their children, they both give permission for the two to date.
- Magic's debut single, "Rude", is about the singer failing to get this from the father of his fiancée, but deciding he'll marry her anyway.
- Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" initially has a father telling a young man, "Stay away from Juliet". And the young lady fears that the relationship won't be allowed, until "Romeo" comes to her on bended knee:
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
And said, "Marry me, Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
- Fiddler on the Roof: The eldest of Tevye's five daughters each fall in love over the course of the musical, and one of the major themes of the musical is Tevye's struggle to approve of their relationships, especially since the stakes grow higher for each one.
- Yente the matchmaker sets up an Arranged Marriage for Tzeitel, Tevye's oldest girl, and Lazar Wolf, a butcher Tevye's age—but Tzeitel and the man she actually loves, Motel the tailor, secretly swore a pledge to each other to marry when they were children. Despite Tevye agreeing to the match with Lazar, he decides to put his daughter's happiness first (and risk being castigated as an oathbreaker) by approving of Tzeitel and Motel marrying, albeit by devising an elaborate scheme to get his wife Golde to agree.
- Hodel, Tevye's second-oldest daughter, falls for the dashing revolutionary Perchik, and the two tell him that they're going to be married whether he likes it or not, although they do still hope to get his blessing. They explain that they're marrying for love, which confuses Tevye, but he ultimately recognizes that they truly care for each other and offers both the blessing and his permission.
- Chava, inspired by the example of her older sisters, develops a secret romance with Fyedka, an Orthodox Russian and thus a non-Jew. Tevye draws the line at Chava marrying outside of the faith, but the two elope anyway, and Tevye desperately tries to find it in his heart to accept it...but can't go through with it: "If I try to bend that far, I will break." He declares that Chava is now dead to the family and refuses to speak to or even look at her when she comes to say goodbye as the family prepares to leave their village. There's a bit of hope, though, as he quietly whispers "God be with you" to them; Tzeitel eagerly passes on the message, while Golde tells them where they'll be staying in the future on the offchance that they'll be able to write.
- You Can't Take It With You: The main plot sees Alice Vanderhof, the youngest member of a kooky but loving family, falling in love with Tony Kirby, the son of the prominent, stuffy banker Anthony and his equally-uptight wife Miriam. The Vanderhofs immediately accept Tony and are eager for the marriage to happen, but it's clear that Anthony and Miriam find the Vanderhofs too lower-class and strange for them to approve. Alice thinks the relationship will never work, but after a good deal of hijinks, Grandpa Vanderhof is able to convince Anthony to accept that the kids love each other, and Anthony comes around to offer his own blessing for the union.
- Being a ΔΙΚ: In Episode 11, the MC brings a romanced Sage or Jill home to meet Neil, with him approving of both of them: he finds Jill polite and kind, and immediately bonds with Sage, with the two even lightheartedly making fun of Tremolo together. The other paths do not have the MC bring his partner home, primarily due to them being unconventional relationships (a polyamorous relationship with Josy and Maya or an Age-Gap Romance with Isabella), instead having him gently try to broach the topic with Neil instead.
- Freefall: Winston's parents approve of his relationship with Florence; his mother does so immediately, while his father takes time to think about it and get to know Florence before granting his approval.
- The Order of the Stick: Ian Starshine becomes embroiled in a La Résistance movement against The Empire of Blood, and is horrifed when he learns that his daughter Haley has started a relationship with Elan, son of Tarquin, one of the Empire's generals. Elan, who rejects his father's tyrannical worldview and ends up seeing him as a Broken Pedestal, manages to get Ian to warm to him by helping him come up with a plan to undermine Tarquin and the Empire.
Ian: Not bad, kid. Maybe you're not a diabolical sleeper agent out to infiltrate my family and destroy everything I've worked for.
Elan: Truly, that's all any man can hope to hear from his girlfriend's father. - Questionable Content: When Dora introduces Marten
to her father, they communicate their relationship status and the father's approval through a men's Secret Handshake.
Dora: What if he hadn't approved?
Marten: Then I'd have a broken thumb. It's a very unambiguous system.
- Kim Possible: It's telling how much the Possible family trusts and approves of Ron Stoppable, who has known Kim since Pre-K, that they hardly raise a fuss about Kim jetting around the world with him to save the world. Indeed, in the "Sitch In Time" story arc, Kim's father, who knows she's jumping through time with Ron, says, "As long as she's not out with some boy." When Kim and Ron swap bodies, there isn't even an obligatory remark from anyone, least of all Kim's parents, about Ron minding his eyes and hands. Granted, when Ron did a preliminary date with Kim before they became an Official Couple, Mr. Dr. P did have a talk with Ron, warning him that if he upset Kim then he could launch him into a black hole. When the pair has their official Relationship Upgrade, the Possible family almost takes it as a given, and nothing between them and Ron changes. Ron's parents aren't as prevalent in the show, but when they do appear, they show nothing but approval for Kim. Indeed, when Ron is consumed with worries about his chances at surviving continued missions, his father, who works as an actuary, tells him, "Some things are worth the risk."
- The Looney Tunes Show: In "Members Only", Bugs Bunny meets Lola Bunny and asks her on a date, but quickly grows sick of her because she never stops talking and she becomes a Stalker with a Crush. He then goes to meet her at the town's country club (planning to dump her), only to find that her parents are there to meet him. When Bugs gets down on one knee to pick up a mint he dropped, Lola mistakenly believes he's proposing to her and she accepts. Even though Lola's parents had literally just met Bugs, they wholeheartedly approve, with Lola's dad calling Bugs the son he never had. At the end, though, Lola decides not to marry Bugs, and Lola's mom is so sad that she cries. Later, when Bugs and Lola get back together, Lola's parents still act like Shippers on Deck, especially Lola's dad, Walter, who adores Bugs and really wants Bugs and Lola to get married because he's always wanted a son. Walter even sings a song about how great Bugs is, called "Wonderful Bugs".
- Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM): Sonic and Princess Sally are in love with each other. In "The Void", Sally’s father, King Acorn (who was banished to another dimension called the Void by Robotnik), briefly escaped from the Void. However, he’s forced to return because anyone who spends too long in the Void will start turning into crystal if they leave. Before he returns to the Void, he tells Sonic to take care of Sally.
