Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've heard my husband refer to me as both. 'The wife' doesn't bother me in the least.
I almost always refer to mine as 'my husband'; however, I do say "the old man" once in awhile (depends on who I'm talking to).
One time I asked a woman about her hubby and she about bit my head off because she "couldn't stand" that term. Hers was the only complaint I ever heard.
DH uses it in a teasing way. If someone asks if he's free Friday night, he'll say "Dunno, gotta ask the wife what's on our calendar". It's never disrespectful though.
DH uses it in a teasing way. If someone asks if he's free Friday night, he'll say "Dunno, gotta ask the wife what's on our calendar". It's never disrespectful though.
In an always playful manner, we have all sorts of nicknames for each other. I would guess if someone didn't know us, they'd either find us cute or really weird LOL
Do you married guys ever call your spouse "the wife"? I have a married friend who never calls his wife, "my wife" when talking about her and rarely uses her name. He always calls her "the wife". He will say "The wife said this" or "The wife and I did this".
I was wondering if it's a way of separating yourself from your spouse, depersonalizing the relationship. Does that make sense? Same with talking about your girlfriend as "the girlfriend" or your ex as "the ex".
What do you think?
When I talk about my husband, I say "my husband" or use his name.
Yep, we refer to one another as "the husband" and "the wife," but that's just our quirky way of talking. I also call our son "your son" when I am speaking to my husband (instead of "our son", e.g., "Did you see what your son brought home from school?"). When I call my parents' house and talk to my dad, I'll say, "Hey, is your wife around?" instead of referring to her as "Mom" or "my mother." It's just a habit we have.
For about a year after we were married, my husband and I called one another "Husband" and "Wife." He would say, "Hello, Wife!" or "Wife, what's for dinner?"
Passive-agressive language showing contempt for either the person or at the relationship dynamics in some degree. Absolutely depersonalization of the female spouse. Also an attempt to look "macho" in the company of other men.
I will agree with the depersonalization of the female spouse.
I am guilty of this.
Plain and simple.
However, you have to realize that some people just don't get it sometimes. You can talk till you are blue in the face about issues and they will still be like, "DUH?" So giving up on trying is not in a sense PA.
So as a 'passive-aggresive' thing I think that may be a misdiagnosis.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
9,516 posts, read 20,004,411 times
Reputation: 9418
I never read anything into it myself, just a manner of speaking, I thought. <shrug>
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.