Parents-in-Law. What do/did you call them?

First names only.

Unfortunately, it was a truly grand loss on both our parts and our twin daughters.

By their Christian names. It never occurred to me to call them anything else.

I called my mother in law Jean and her husband, Nigel. I called my father in law Eric but he mainly lived abroad. I called my husband's grandparents Nan and Pop, which was what he called them. They were lovely people and more like in laws to me as Jean lived abroad too until she left Eric for Nigel. Pop got his nickname during the war from an American GI, Jean was dating then. . Once my little girl called Pop, Charlie and Nan said, "He's not Charlie to you!"Nan's name was Lil. I loved her so much. I taught my little girl to call Jean, Granny Jean and my mother, Granny Mona. But she called Nigel, Nigel. Because everyone in the family had loved Eric and blamed Jean for leaving him. She was in the driving seat really, not Nigel but he was not going to be treated as a blood relative.

I now realise how formal my mother in law was .

Never had any, MrB lost his parents before we met.

I was never introduced formerly to my MIL and so didn't know what to call her. I knew her for 30 years and always referred to her as DH mum. All her friends called her Maggie, why, I don't know as it was not her real name. Unfortunately for me it was mine until I met her. When we got married it was easier for me to change my entire name.

I loved my in-laws and called them mum and dad although I also had my own mum and dad. DH did the same, always called my parents mum and dad.

By their first names, from the first time of meeting them, over forty years ago.

As both my parents died when I was young I called my in-laws mum and dad. My fil used to tell everyone I made the best roast beef, much to mil annoyance. I was very close to both of them.

I think I used to avoid calling my in-laws anything. I'd address them as 'you'. I wouldn't call them 'mum' or 'dad' since those names belonged to my parents and if I put their names together they sounded like a couple from a sitcom.

Another " nothing" here, although we got on perfectly well.

My husband was brought up by his Grandfather - I used to call him by his Cristian name ( he’s no longer alive).
Husband calls my parents by their Cristian names.

I never called my late parents in law anything. Neither of them suggested I used their first name or any other alternative. He was lovely but sadly died back in 1998. My mother in law was an absolute snob and I don't know if she uis dead or alive. She called in on her way home the day after my DH's funeral ( he was only 54 and was the only one of her three children who had much to do with her although he did that as he was a good person) and asked for several paintings I had. Late fil had done them and my husband "rescued" them as she was throwing them out! Needless to say she never got them and I never heard from her again. Was thinking of them today as it would have been my 32nd wedding anniversary today. She never knew that fil referred to her as Hyacinth Bucket behind her back!

Nothing really until the wonderful time five years later when our first son was born, then grandma and grandad which solved the problem.

Hi, I called my lovely parents in-law
by their first names, which is what they wanted. Was never an issue. 🌷

First names for me and DH, married later 1980s.
My mum, married early 1960s, spent 30 years referring to her in laws as ‘Dave’s mum’ and ‘Dave’s dad’. I don’t think she ever addressed either of them directly by their own names. I remember thinking how strange it was when I was about eight, but it never changed.
My mums family were much less formal and my dad was able to use mums parent’s first names from the start.

Paternal grandmother was much more formal and always referred to my other grandparents as Mrs x and Mr x. Feels like a different time.

First names for my in-laws now dead . And for DH first names for my parents.
I thought that was what everyone did until I read this post .

For the short time I was married I avoided calling my MIL and FIL anything. We saw very little of them. FIL was ok but MIL was a bitch. I used to send DH off to visit on his own.

Called them mum and dad but my OH called my mum and dad by their Christian names

Pet names for Mil and Fil.
My husband used my parents christian names, he did ask first though

I was happy to call mine Mum and Dad, that’s not what I called my own dear parents.
Interestingly the terms ‘guid faither’ and ‘guid mither’ were very common amongst older Scots for in-laws. This extended to guid sister/ brither etc.
In Scots ‘guid’ is ‘good’.

By her first name, much to her displeasure. She was determined that I would call her Mom. I flat out refused.

I was 19 when I married and couldn’t call my MIL mum as I already had a mum . At first I called her Mrs V but that felt ridiculous as I was also Mrs V so in in the end I called her an affectionate diminutive of her Christian name . Her 3rd son also started calling her this so it was fine .
My DIL of 18 years doesn’t call me anything 😂😂😂

I used their christian names or referred to them as Grandma and Grandad to my children. MiL is still alive and I don't see her often as she is not local and I'm divorced from her son though I'm still in contact. Mychildren see her when they can and I mostly hear about her from them so she's most often referred to now as Grandma. I can't remember what my ex called my Mum. He didn't have a lot of contact with her and made little effort to understsnd her. He referred to her to me as 'The old bat' which was entirely unfair! I sometimes made disparaging remarks about his dad, who I disliked, but it was usually in retaliation for his remarks about my mum, who didn't deserve it! My ex eventually began to turn into his dad so I'm definitely better off without him!

Same as quite a few other Gransnetters, never called my MIL by her name or mum or mother, which I would not have felt comfortable doing as my mum had died a few years prior to me getting married. if anything it would have been nan when the children were young