Dear Queenie,
My boyfriend refuses to go to family events with me. He always has an excuse, like he has to work or he just doesn’t know anyone who will be there but me.
It’s embarrassing having to explain why he doesn’t come with me and having to make excuses for him all the time.
Queenie, don’t I have a right to be angry about this?—Going solo
Dear Going solo,
Try looking at this from your boyfriend’s point of view. Apparently he does not know your family, at least not very well, and they may have made him feel uncomfortable in the past – perhaps by quizzing him about the status of your relationship with him. Or perhaps he is just socially awkward and uncomfortable with strangers.
Things may get better if he gets to know your family one or two at a time rather than en masse at “family events.”
