Hows your wife ?

XYZ1000

Imo I think people are being respectful when they call your girlfriend "your wife". I wouldn't think it's something to get a bee in your bonnet about really. Maybe I am just old fashioned.
You must have a very easy life with only this to complain about.

Plans_all_plans

Bl00dy hell I think we should all just sew our mouths shut. You can't say anything to anyone anymore!

If you must talk to others: stick to the weather people!

euronorris

jamespir wrote: »

hows the misses dont sound too bad to me or hows the girlfreind

I used to correct people at first when they referred to my OH as my husband. I don't bother now. It's not worth the effort, and we feel just as committed to each other as any married couple, so we just go along with the husband and wife titles that others like to give us.

Gloomendoom

Newly_retired wrote: »

Personally as a wife, I find the expression THE wife somewhat offensive. Your wife?

I am a husband and I feel the same way. It places my my wife on the same level as the cat or the teapot.

JC9297

As someone who has been with my partner for 23 years and has 2 children, boyfriend and girlfriend started sounding silly many years ago. I tend to use partner when talking about him, wouldn't call us husband and wife because we're not but don't take offence if someone else does, usually don't correct people unless it is relevant.

Agree with others who say THE wife rather than your wife is awful, and I hate the missus.

Lotus-eater

euronorris wrote: »

I used to correct people at first when they referred to my OH as my husband. I don't bother now. It's not worth the effort, and we feel just as committed to each other as any married couple, so we just go along with the husband and wife titles that others like to give us.

I've recently got married, but we've been together for something like 20 years, I've never worried about it, only if the information is needed (or it's a funny time) do I point out we aren't married.

But I've never been insulted or worried about anything any one has ever said on this subject.

duchy

And to add to the confusion some men refer to their partners as "the missus" even though they aren't married.

Most people don't care if you are married or not-except possibly the aunts mentioned in the first post who *might* be implying you should finally make an honest woman of her-or equally are just not of the generation who use the word partner comfortably so use the term wife as a catch all.

I don't assume a man talking about his husband or a woman talking about her wife (which I get quite often on work calls) have gone through a civil union ceremony -it's just another word rather than the colder sounding partner which some people don't like because it makes their love partnership sound like a business arrangement.

euronorris

Lotus-eater wrote: »

I've recently got married, but we've been together for something like 20 years, I've never worried about it, only if the information is needed (or it's a funny time) do I point out we aren't married.

But I've never been insulted or worried about anything any one has ever said on this subject.

Nope, neither have I.

Plus, our surnames are very, very similar (only the first letter is different), so I can easily see why people make the assumption.

Quite often, when we've applied for things together (like fishing licenses for example), the confirmation letter/documents we receive are addressed as Mr & Mrs XXXXXX! And my fishing license did actually have his surname on it, rather than my own. It does make me laugh, cos I can only assume that whoever processes these things thought that I spelt my own surname incorrectly! :rotfl::rotfl:

euronorris

duchy wrote: »

And to add to the confusion some men refer to their partners as "the missus" even though they aren't married.

I thought that missus was a general term anyway? I've always seen it used by guys to describe their girlfriends (as well as wives), including non serious girlfriends (ie, only been together a couple of months).

Maybe it's use varies from region to region. I think James might be from the same area as I am.

DevilsAdvocate1

I think girlfriend and boyfriend sound childish and would have felt silly still using them after several years together. And partner always makes me think of businesses.

I don't understand why people are prepared to make the far bigger commitment of having children together but don't want to make the lesser commitment of getting married.