While the approval of friends often seems to matter most, people still want their family to approve of someone they are seeing. They want to be able to bring the person home for Sunday dinners, holidays and special family events. This cannot happen if the family does not approve of the person they are dating. Sometimes it causes the relationship to be terminated. Other times, the person becomes estranged from their family over the issue.
When a family does not approve of a person, it does not mean the person is bad. Some families want their child to marry a chosen person. Other families consider religious beliefs of paramount importance. A person with a different religious background may not meet their approval even if they are well liked by family members. These scenarios will hinder the relationship, but often cause the person to disregard their family if they are already in a committed relationship.
