meet the parents

RedEye has this guide about the do's and don'ts of meeting a significant other's parents.

Talk about stressful. It's a situation that always makes my stomach flip-flop a bit, whether I'm meeting a date's parents or he's meeting mine. It represents a turning point that can either bring you closer together or suddenly make things very, very tense.

Or does it?

Recently, a hairdresser and I agreed that in many relationships, getting the approval of someone's friends can be more difficult than his/her parents. It seems like many people, guys in particular, put more weight on their friends' opinions of a date. Friends might be more candid in expressing their opinions, too.

Which first-meet situation causes you more stress: friends or parents?