This is getting very tiresome! Help me solve this problem, please.

[Kathleen in VA]

I can't believe that in all the eons of time no one has coined a term (in English anyway) for one's child's in-laws. Every time I want to refer to the mother, father or both parents of my daughter-in-law I must choose from a few awkward phrases:

 

the mother (or father) of my dauther-in-law

my son's mother-in-law (or fil)

my son's inlaws (when referring to both)

my dil's parents

 

Ugh! Can we point our heads together here, folks, and try to come up with something less bulky and that requires less thinking. My brain is just too old to keep having to think this through.

[Tammyla]

I can't believe that in all the eons of time no one has coined a term (in English anyway) for one's child's in-laws. Every time I want to refer to the mother, father or both parents of my daughter-in-law I must choose from a few awkward phrases:

 

the mother (or father) of my dauther-in-law

my son's mother-in-law (or fil)

my son's inlaws (when referring to both)

my dil's parents

Ugh! Can we point our heads together here, folks, and try to come up with something less bulky and that requires less thinking. My brain is just too old to keep having to think this through.

 

I think my dil's (name) parents sounds better, but I could be wrong.

[KidsHappen]

:iagree: While you can use their names when talking to them or people who know who they are, it is difficult to explain their relationship to others. We consider my SIL's and future SIL's families family but it is hard to explain to others how they are related. Down south we just say they are kin which conveys that they are related but that it would be difficult to explain how. :001_smile:

[Mejane]

I think my dil's (name) parents sounds better, but I could be wrong.

 

:iagree: Or John's wife's mom/dad/parents. I assume they know your son "John". ;)

[Britomart]

I call my sister's sister-in-law (whom I like very much) my "sister-in-law-in-law'. :)

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

We keep it simple.

 

Us and Them....:D

[secular_mom]

I can't believe that in all the eons of time no one has coined a term (in English anyway) for one's child's in-laws.

I think 'son's in-laws' and 'daughter's in-laws' is sufficient. Generically speaking our child's/children's in-laws works.

[Kathleen in VA]

I think 'son's in-laws' and 'daughter's in-laws' is sufficient. Generically speaking our child's/children's in-laws works.

 

This is my usual default, but I still have to think it through too much. Maybe because it is a fairly new idea for me for my son to even have in-laws. :D Doesn't it seem strange to anyone that there is no specific word for this relationship? I'm just thinking that it would be so much easier to have a designation for this instead of having to say a phrase. The problem here is that my son and dh have the same name and my across-the-street neighbor (who is also a good friend) and my son's mil have the same first name. If I use their names confusion ensues. It's especially rough when the person I'm speaking to doesn't know anyone I'm talking about - such as a grocery clerk or receptionist at a doctor's office (I'm way too chatty, I know!).

 

The main thing is that it surprises me that no one has ever come up with a term specifically for this relationship. Seems like there's a word for everything, but this idea got skipped over. I just find it odd. Guess I'm stuck with son's in-laws or son's mil/fil.

[*********]

Kathleen, I have the same problem when referring to the mother of my stepchildren. I don't like to call her my husband's 'ex', since that (to me anyway) implies ex WIFE, and they were never married. So I end up saying 'my stepchildren's mother', which seems awkward. She has the same problem, btw. I went to visit her when she was in the hospital recently, and she felt obviously weird about how to explain our relationship to her friends who were there. First, she just introduced me as her 'friend', but then she felt compelled to explain that I was, in fact, her children's stepmother. Both are true, but one is more specific. :) (Of course, we got the usual surpised response, which always makes me so sad that it is expected that she and I would be anything *but* friends.)

 

Not quite as wordy as your situation, but annoying all the same. :D

[JennyD]

I have nothing in the way of constructive help, but I have always found it so strange that English does not have a word for this relationship. Both Yiddish and Chinese do, at least.

[Kathleen in VA]

I have nothing in the way of constructive help, but I have always found it so strange that English does not have a word for this relationship. Both Yiddish and Chinese do, at least.

 

What's the Yiddish word? I'm not against borrowing from another language. (Although I'm hopeless when trying to pronounce Chinese - I got introduced to that word at a church gathering recently by a friend who is Chinese when I brought up the same topic and never could quite wrap my tongue around it.)

[JennyD]

What's the Yiddish word?

 

Machetunim (plural)

[Kathleen in VA]

Machetunim (plural)

 

If you can spare the time, I'd love a pronounciation guide and could you use it in a sentence? Thanks.:)

[Mommyfaithe]

I can't believe that in all the eons of time no one has coined a term (in English anyway) for one's child's in-laws. Every time I want to refer to the mother, father or both parents of my daughter-in-law I must choose from a few awkward phrases:

 

the mother (or father) of my dauther-in-law

my son's mother-in-law (or fil)

my son's inlaws (when referring to both)

my dil's parents

 

Ugh! Can we point our heads together here, folks, and try to come up with something less bulky and that requires less thinking. My brain is just too old to keep having to think this through.

 

Didn't read the other responses but I call them the in-laws in law...:D

 

Faithe...who pondered about that herself.

[Kathleen in VA]

Ahh. Someone else who thinks the English way is a bit cumbersome:

 

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5596890/yiddish_word_of_the_day_machetun.html?cat=10