Calling adult sisters 'the girls'

Not quite the same but my mother would meet up with her 3 school friends for lunch, every month. That was her day with the girls.

The youngest was 87, eldest 89. And they were called "the girls' by the restaurant staff and they loved it.

That's ok. My twin brother and I are still referred to as The Twins - we are in our 70s!

For some reason, and probably totally illogicalky, I think a 'girls night out' doesn't have the same connotations.

It’s a bit like the abbreviations on GN like DH instead of Dear Husband.
They probably think it’s quicker and easier to say ‘the girls’ than Helen and Grace, without realising how irritating it is.
I’m a bit guilty of something similar. When my DD rings to say she’d like to come over, I ask, “ are you bringing the children?“ instead of, “Are you bringing x, y and z?”

I know what you mean about brevity, but if Helen is calling over with her married sister my neighbour says 'Helen and Alison will be over later'.

Is it because it is not treating them like adults or more "we have names you know!"

I also would forgive parents, but I'm a bit invested as I have 5 children and there is not always time to run through all their names!

My 2 younger cats are still "the kittens" even though they are definitely not any more lol

I think a bit of both Violet.

My two sons, 48 and 47 are referred to as the boys in our family, they don’t mind in the slightest ?

Same for my two.

My comment makes it sound a bit like I don't agree with them.. Here they obviously do mind and an effort does need to be made to change it.

Habits like that are hard to break though

It's personal. I grew up around women who called each other 'gel' (hard g) and would refer to meeting up as 'seeing the gels', or 'the gels are calling round'.
It is other people who tell me that the use of the term 'girl' is demeaning. I certainly don't regard it as professional and wouldn't use it in the workplace or similar formal places.
But within families and groups of friends, my experience is that it is warm and sociable - and not belittling in the slightest. If anything, the gels I grew up around were formidable.
I suspect that the women who dislike it are aware of being belittled in other ways. My youngest child was referred to by a diminutive that his older siblings used. Aged about 8, he asked for it to stop - he didn't really mind it, but it reminded him that he was the youngest! We followed his request.

I could think of worse?{grin}

Yes if I hadn't been made aware that some people dislike this, for various reasons, it probably would never have occurred to me.

As I said upthread, I think it's a bit different from a group of friends referring to themselves as 'the girls'.

My friend says it makes her feel as if people think they've never fully grown up because they're not married with kids. She could be projecting of course, but I take her point.

That's the reason I suppose - the 'family message' is that you are not 'grown up' until you marry / have children.
I think though, that if you are going to ask the extended family to stop saying 'the girls' you have to ask the parents - from whom the others are probably taking their cue.

Interesting, prompted me to think about how I refer to people.

Ooh I’d be delighted and flattered personally. Those were the days ….

We have four sons, always referred to collectively as the boys.
All have family of their own and when we refer to them individually it is by name.
Can’t see a problem myself.

My parents always referred to their three daughters as 'the girls' when referring to all of us. We trained them up to it when we were in our early teens because we hated being referred to as 'the children'.

It never bothered us. A friend with sons, always talks about her boys, even though they are grown up.

It doesn't bother me now. As I said where boys are concerned it is just the same.

nanna8

Ooh I’d be delighted and flattered personally. Those were the days ….

My brother has been known to refer to my 3 sisters when talking to me as The Others ! Sounds a bit ? spooky

We call our next door neighbours 'our girls' and they sometimes call us auntie .... and uncle ...., and if they're feeling particularly cheeky GM and GD.

If it bothers them that much Beswitched why don't they say or have they and their feelings are being ignored?

My son has 3 sisters and yes he calls them 'the sisters' has done so ce he was small

My to daughters will always be ' the girls' to me !

My sons and grandsons are my 'boys' and daughters and granddaughters are my 'girls'.

They all refer to each other by name.

Can't see the problem, my first thought was that's a bit childish?