Hysterics at Reason Woman Waited Months to Introduce Boyfriend to Family

Meeting the parents is a nerve-wracking moment for any couple—but one family dynamic is sure to take the edge off.

A video posted by Jess Baker-Smith (@jessybakersmith) revealed the wacky family event she invited her boyfriend to after eight months: A thrift-store hat-making contest. Since the clip was posted only two days ago, it has received almost 1 million views, over 136,000 likes and nearly 400 comments.

“POV [point of view]: You waited eight months to introduce your boyfriend to your family because this is what our weekends look like,” Baker-Smith captioned the video. “Welcome to the family, Harry.”

The footage shows Baker-Smith’s family members interacting while wearing increasingly ridiculous hats—from a shark’s head to a balaclava to a flamingo. The event seemed intergenerational, too, with everyone from presumed siblings to grandparents participating.

In the comments, Baker-Smith wrote that the family competed against each other in a hat-making competition, in which everyone had to buy something from a thrift store and make headwear from it. In another comment, she clarified her reasons in bringing her boyfriend to the funny family gathering: “Had to know if he was special enough to intro to my special bunch.”

Baker-Smith said that, for the family’s yearly gathering, they always select a “fancy dress theme”. This year’s was self-explanatory.

Commenters were desperate for an invitation to such an event, wondering if Baker-Smith’s family were “taking applications”.

“Yes, I’d like to join your family please,” @jazzysprinkles1 wrote. “We have some single boys looking for girlfriends,” Baker-Smith replied.

“Dear hiring manager, I’d like to introduce myself,” @6ft7.0 posted.

“I’d like to apply for a position in this family,” @missv_2609 commented. “I did theater, so I have no shame whatsoever, which I think is an important quality for the job.”

Meeting the Parents

Meeting a partner’s parents is a potential stressor for any couple—even scientific research confirms it—and for good reason.

In a study published for Annals of Psychology in 2021 of eight heterosexual adults aged between 20 and 28 years old, researchers noted that in-laws and partners’ parents play a critical role in relationships. The quality of contact with these parents can “affect satisfaction and marital success of a married couple,” they wrote.

Beyond that, the researchers found that stress and fear were common components of anticipating parental introductions. They wrote: “The participants reported predictions of feeling stressed… but also of excitement, having no expectations, being ashamed by their own parents or being trustful in parents’ behavior.”

It seems Baker-Smith’s boyfriend’s meeting went well, though—well enough to make a TikTok video about it, at least—and viewers are clamoring for more footage of Baker-Smith family functions.

“What happens at Christmas?” one viewer asked. “Pure chaos,” Baker-Smith replied.

Newsweek reached out to @jessybakersmith for comment via TikTok.