My (18F) boyfriend (18M) and I have been dating since March so I've only met his parents recently and I've been at his house pretty much every other day, meaning I eat dinner at the table with them sometimes. I should say I'm even not that much of an awkward person; I may be a tad shy around others when I first meet them but it's hard for me to find people I'm THIS weird around. I also didn't come from a family that all sat at the table together for dinner. I know this probably doesn't sound like a big deal to someone else but these dinners are genuinely torture to me. I am so unbelievably weird and awkward. I literally can't function without looking at him for guidance, I have no idea what to do with myself or my eyes or hands or anything. Occasionally he'll try to help me by bringing up a topic I have in common with his mom but she kind of brushes past it and goes on to talk about something else I know nothing about. They usually talk about cars, his brother, or their extended family, all of which I know NOTHING about. I stay silent throughout the whole thing which I know probably comes off as rude but I don't know what to do at all. I know they're also pretty proper people and I have manners but I keep feeling like I'm doing something wrong… whatever it is. God forbid my boyfriend gets up to do anything, then I'm really lost and look insane. My dad told me he thinks it's rude that they wouldn't include me in conversations but I don't want to be so quick to blame them as they're all very nice to me. I think I am just a vastly different person than them. My boyfriend told me I should just act how I do when I'm eating alone with him but when I'm eating alone with him I talk to fill the silence. What am I supposed to talk about?? I can't jump into any conversation they're having. I think it would be weird to just start a new one right?? I know this post is all over the place but I guess I'm asking how to be more natural in an environment where you have nothing in common with a group of people lol. What can I do to replace all the fidgeting I do with my hands when I don't know what to do with them? I need like… the simplest of instructions right now. I genuinely don't think I've ever had a sit-down dinner with someone's family. If anyone has this life skill please help.