My husband and I have been married for three years. My mother-in-law still calls me his girlfriend. Apparently, my promotion is caught somewhere in processing.
I’m not asking for an elaborate title. “Wife” would do. It’s short, widely understood, and describes the arrangement my husband and I have already made.
What bothers me is the repetition. A slip is a slip. But after three years, hearing “girlfriend” again leaves me wondering whether I’m supposed to correct it, ignore it, or wait for our marriage to reach whatever probationary milestone she has in mind.
I don’t know why she keeps doing it. Habit is possible. So are other explanations, but I can’t establish intent from a noun, however persistent that noun may be.
What I want is for my husband to correct her when it happens in front of other people. A simple “my wife” seems sufficient. No announcement, no family hearing, no supporting documents.
Still, I’m wondering whether asking him to do that publicly is unreasonable. I’m not looking to turn an introduction into an incident. I’d just prefer the correction to reach the same audience as the mistake.
Three years into being his wife, am I wrong to ask my husband to say so?
