C.J., John totally nailed it. And he was so nice about it. You and your parents don't live in the land of arranged marriages to people of a particular race or nationality. You live in south friggin' Florida. That stuff just isn't an option here. They need to get a GPS and get over It. Dusty is right, too. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that your parents must be pretty darned smart people. (Although maybe not at this precise moment) Even if they put up a terrible fuss for a while, I doubt they'd take a trade as dumb as severing their relationship with you. It's not about culture, but I don't think my mother has ever been totally keen on Bonnie. But she's made the smart choice to be nice-ish about it for 25 years. Stick to your guns. It'll work out.