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AIBU?

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Was she reasonable to ask this?

36 replies

speaktoyou · 07/01/2011 05:26

When my mother-in-law first time met my parents before our wedding she asked me carefully ''Are both your parents on their first marriage?''

I found her question embarrassing and she was being rude to ask this. What do you think? Do people ask this between in-laws?

OP posts:
onceamai · 07/01/2011 08:11

If your dp didn't know then I think you both need to get to know each other and a bit more about each other before you get married. If you don't know the basics she definitely wasn't being unreasonable.

DilysPrice · 07/01/2011 08:13

Reasonable question. Possibly not put in the most polite way, but I'd put that down to the language barrier and the stress of a slightly odd situation.

OTheHugeManatee · 07/01/2011 10:43

I don't think it's necessarily an unreasonable question, though it depends on why she was asking.

Was she being judgy about someone raised by people who had 'failed' at a marriage marrying into her family? Or was she asking so as to know the facts and not put her foot in it?

I do think it's a bit odd to ask in front of the people in question though.

Mutt · 07/01/2011 10:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LoopyLoopsOfSparklyFairyLights · 07/01/2011 11:08

Are they religious? (PILs)

swanandduck · 07/01/2011 11:24

It sounds like she just wanted to avoid saying anything tactless to your parents. That's the way I would have taken it up anyway.

IsItMeOr · 07/01/2011 12:12

Sounds to me like a perfectly reasonable question, asked in a discreet way. Divorce and remarriage is very commonplace these days, so I think she was just trying to avoid causing any offence to your parents.

So I think you are being over-sensitive. Try to let it go. Assuming you have gone ahead and married her offspring, you will have to be more tolerant than this to have a good relationship with PILs.

ScotlandR · 11/01/2011 05:31

I know why she asked it.

She was basically asking "do your parents both have the same surname as you?"

diddl · 11/01/2011 06:49

Can´t see any big problem with it.

My MIL phoned my mum to tell her how concerned she was that I would hurt her sonConfusedBlushGrin

complexnumber · 11/01/2011 09:25

Maybe she was going to say something like, "We're so pleased to welcome your daughter to our family." But was concerned she'd get a "Oh, she's not my daughter" from one of them. My step-mother would definitely put her right.

zukiecat · 11/01/2011 09:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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