I know this has been approached before. What do you call your in-laws? Mine have been first name for a long time now and they call themselves Mom or Dad to me, but I am not sure how comfortable I am addressing them as such. Dad isn't so bad, mine has been dead since I was 18 and divorced before that. Mom is a little odd since I am really tight with my own mother.
sweetadeline
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Yeah, this situation can be awkward. Mine aren't technically in-laws yet, but I usually call them by their first names (as I was told to do) or avoid calling them anything at all!
Julestrd
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I tend to call them by their first names, but his grandma's I call them grandma, and when I am talking to him about his relatives I will say Aunt so and so or Uncle so and so, but never to their face I feel like they are giving me a weird look when I say it, like that where do you get off calling them that when you aren't married into this family yet
regi
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I call them by their first name, although I love to call her something else.. rhymes with witch..
Danielle&Scott
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Right now I dont know what to call them. I feel wierd calling them mom and dad, so most of the time I call them by their first names.
prncssrachel
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They refer to themselves as their first names to me, so that is what I call them. I'm not so sure I will EVER want to call them mom and dad. They're just weird. JT calls my parents mom and dad, though. But he's closer with my parents than he is with his own.
tracyg
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i usually don't call them anything, but when i do its first name. I knew his father first, so i always called him by first name. then when we started dating i felt like i should call him Mr. R... lol But i stayed with his first name. sometimes ill call his mom 'mom' but usually joking around.
Maribelle7777
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their first names
eta: i don't see why we can't call them by their first names. they're not our parents so I can't see calling them mom or dad. and we're all grown up's so why not call them by their first names?
JP&EP
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I just use first names. Mom and Dad will always be too weird. I already have a set of those
Sassyz75
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I call his parents Mom & Dad.. It's a term of respect- obviously they are not trying to or will ever come close to my own parents...
Xelindrya
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Posted by Sassyz75
I call his parents Mom & Dad.. It's a term of respect- obviously they are not trying to or will ever come close to my own parents...
Although both our cultures are WAY big on respect. (Chinese & American Indian/Spaniard) I do NOT feel respect should be given without being earned.
Jim calls my father 'Mr. XXX' and my stepmoster Ruth. Mostly because saying Armando is very odd sounding if you don't say it right and Jim doesnt like the Americanized 'Mando' much.
I dont call his father anything but 'your father'. Firstly, I dont see him at all (ive seen him all of twice in the past 4 years). Secondly his father has definately not earned the right of 'father' from his own children much less from me.
His Mother (chinese name)... Well honestly its a bit hard to say her name. But Im learning. I do not call her 'Mom' She hasnt earned me respect yet. Not to say she's mean or anything but she's just not that close. She doesnt seem to mind.
I think Im just weird like that. *shrug*
To add to this tension is my SIL (my brother's wife) she was so fast to call my father and stepmother 'Mom & Dad' that it ticked me off. It was so obviously fake and plastic like. She said she could cause she's 'family'. It so put me off that now I can't see myself ever doing that to anyone.
The ONLY woman I call mom with true honest endearment is my best friend's mother. Even my 'mom' (stepmother) I say it with distaste.
KerrC
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I call them by their first names. Mom and Dad doesn't seem right since DH calls them by their first names. Weird, I know.
DH still calls my parents Mr. & Mrs. My mother has said to call her by her first name...but DH is stuck to it.
cocoa
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Posted by sweetadeline
Yeah, this situation can be awkward. Mine aren't technically in-laws yet, but I usually call them by their first names (as I was told to do) or avoid calling them anything at all!
ha ha...same here. they go by mom or dad or their first names. i'll tell the puppy to say hi to mom and his parents will say mom and dad, etc, but sometimes their first names come up, like 'bill just went to get some cheese' but in a nutshell, i avoid calling them anything. too weird.
Scoop
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I started calling them mom & dad right away b/c I knew if I waited, I would never do it. At first it was weird, but now I'm used to it.
Sassyz75
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Maybe I'm old fashioned, but older people don't need to earn respect- especially if they are good enough to raise the man you love- that is the sign of respect- that they created an amazing person that you would spend the rest of your life with.. a marriage is a joining of families for that reason...
WinterBride2005
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Posted by Sassyz75
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but older people don't need to earn respect- especially if they are good enough to raise the man you love- that is the sign of respect- that they created an amazing person that you would spend the rest of your life with.. a marriage is a joining of families for that reason...
I agree. FH family is great and I get along with them very well, so maybe that is why I respect them and will call them Mom and Dad, once we are married. Everyone is different and that is fine.
btrflygrl
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I still don't feel comfortable calling them mom or dad...it comes out once in awhile...but in the 3rd person, they are still 'your dad' and 'your mom' when I speak to DH.....
Rainmama
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In person I call them by their first names...but if I'm sending them a card or letter I usually address it 'Mom and Dad'
97bride
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UGH! Nothing really. I am *supposed to* call them mom and dad but I just cannot do it! It doesn't feel right. The exception being when I call them on the phone and say 'Hi Dad, it's Pam' or something to that end.
I'm trying, really I am!
edited to add: It's gotten way easier since having kids. Now I can get away with calling them Grandma and Grandpa!
