Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

And who told you to call them that?

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call them by their first names because I want to. DH calls my Mom by her first name. Everyone is ok with it.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call my them by their first names, and funnily enough for some odd reaason DH calls his Parents by their first names sometimes too. He calls mine by their first names, but to me they are Mum & Dad!

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I am in the "don't call them anything stage" HAHA

MIL will call herself mom to me, like when she calls the house and stuff.

Message edited 8/23/2007 12:21:40 AM.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

i called them Mr. and Mrs. R***** since day one

THE DAY i got engaged, fmil told me i could call her whatever i want. She goes by Jimi but her dil, my fsil calls her her gaelic name, sheimi...
I decided to call her Jimi and my ffil Jim but its soooo hard. I still forget and call them Mr.a nd Mrs. and im getting married in 2months


My parents told Ant from day 1 to call them Mario and Maria

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I dated my DH for 9 years before we got married and it took a whole year of marriage for me to finally start calling FIL by his first name. He told me for years to call him Joe, but the next day I'd revert right back to Mr. Jones. Now I'm finally completely comfortable with Joe. Calling him by his last name at this point would seem silly, we're family!

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

Nothing because we don't speak to them.
When we did speak to them, I only used their first names. I did not ever want to call them mom and dad.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

This is a difficult topic for me!
I have a mom and dad who I love greatly. Both my MIL and FIL have asked me to call them mom and dad. Out of respect for them I will call them mom and dad but ONLY if "MY" mom and dad are not present. I feel as if I am insulting my parents if I would call my inlaws mom and dad infront of them!
When both parents are around I unfortunately just wait for my inlaws to look at me----I HATE THIS FEELING!!!!

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I say Pop for my FIL and sometimes I will use my MILs first name. Most of the time I just talk and hope she turns around.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

By their first names. Dh's stepmother introduced herself to me by her first name, his mother would call and say, "Hi, it's 'her name'", and I just called his father by his first name, thinking it would be weird if I said Mr. "his last name" and called his wife by her first name.

DH calls my parents by their first names, as well.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I try not to address them but if I have to it's by their first names.
If they call our house they say it's Mom or Dad but I'll never call them that, I have my own parents.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I avoid calling them by name. I guess I call them YOU as in "Hi! How are you!" and "Nice to see you!"

When I have to come up with something to say to them... if I am talking about them I will usually use whatever term best describes them to the person I am talking to. If it is a friend or a member of my family I will refer to them as "Rob's mom" or "Rob's dad". If I am at their house and speaking about them to my kids I will refer to them as "Grandma" and "Grandpa". If I am speaking to Rob I say "Your Mom" or "Your Dad" and if I am speaking to his mom and talking about his dad I say "Dad" or 'Mom" if I am speaking to his dad about his mom.

Convoluted - but it works for me!

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I only have a MIL and I call her by her 1st name. And DH calls my mother by her 1st name. And all my siblings also call their in laws by their 1st names.

Come to think of it I believe all our friends call their IL's by their 1st names also.

I would not feel comfortable calling someone else mom or dad. If I didn't use their 1st name it would be Mr or Mrs.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call them mom and dad on my own. There are like parents to me and I adore them alot.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

mom and dad.....
ETA: we are both very close with our parents and love them very much. In our family/culture, NOT calling the inlaws mom/dad is disrespectful.....

Message edited 8/23/2007 7:17:53 AM.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

Mom & dad...I felt funny at first doing it but my MIL approached me on it & said she would prefer me calling her that...

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I told myself to call them that.

I have a friend who is married to a farmer, and his parents own the farm next door, so they live across the yard from the inlaws, when she married this man, her MIL took her aside and said to her "from now on, you will call me Mrs Ramsbottom" so thats what she calls her MIL.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call them by their first names, nobody ever told me what to call them, but that's what I do. DH on the hand, I have no idea, come to think of it, I don't think I've heard him call my parents anything.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

DH and I each call the in-laws by their fist names. When I write out cards to either parents though, it is mom or dad. They refer to themselves as mom and dad (like in a message) when we are both together.
When talking with our own siblings about our own parents, we refer to them as mommy and daddy

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

Before kids I tried to avoid calling them anything. My MIL told me I could call them mom & dad, but it felt weird. So if I had to I said their first names. Now I call them Grandma & Grandpa. So much easier.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call MIL by her first name - I can't call her Mom, I already have a Mom.
But, I call FIL Dad - my father wasn't around, so I never had anyone to call Dad as a child and it seems to be easy for me to say with him. He's very father-figure like.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call MIL Ma Z, FIL by his first name. DH calls my mom Ma dukes. I dont speak to my father but DH calls him by his first name.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

MIL is Bubby! Since the minute baby BK came home with us, his bubby was in love. The first second she saw him she said, "Come to Bubby!!" To this day, we all call her Bubby.

Re: Spinoff to my post- what do you call your in-laws? (poll)

I call my ILs by their first names. Every once in a while DH will say to me (in front of them), call them "mom and dad" which is awkward b/c he knows i don't want to and his parents have never approached me about calling them that. I have a mom and dad and 2 steparents already!