Well............thanks for the various and differing responses. To clarify things a little, my boyfriend in Yoruba.

From what I've observed so far, respect is a huge thing in his culture! He calls his sister his "auntie" and so forth.

Whereas, here, we call our sisters and in-laws by whatever their name is. Not because we're being disrespectul necessarily. Also, I realize that a lot of you guys call anyone lady who is a significant elder, "mummy" or "the mommies," but in my family, if I bring a guy home it's not cool for him to just start calling my mother "mommy." (They don't know each other like that!) Which is why I'm hesitant to call his mother "mummy."

Black American Meeting Boyfriend's Mother: What is the proper greeting?

Hi Guys,

I'm new to nairaland, but I wanted to pose a question.

My "boyfriend" is going to Nigeria this Christmas to visit his family. I'm supposed to meet him over there few weeks during the Christmas break (assuming I get a visa and the money for the ticket). I'm a little nervous because I've never spoken to his mother on the phone and he never really goes out of his way to acquaint me with his family. Until recently, I wasn't even sure she knew about me. After asking him about this, he said that she knew he told her about me and that I was African-American.

Anyway, upon meeting her, what is the proper greeting? Do I courtsey? Is it disrespectul to simply smile and/or shake hands? Overstepping boundaries if I hug her? Is it rude to call her Mrs. (last name)? I know there are cultural differences and I don't want anyone to think I'm being disrespectful. Or perhaps I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it is. I have met his auntie that is here and his uncle, but afterall, does it even mean anything anyway that he's invited me to Nigeria with him? Can't you invite anyone with you home?