I hate when companies use ‘family’ to mean only if you have children

[Newchangename]

I hate it when people use ‘starting a family’ to mean having children. Or when places do ‘family tickets’ or ‘family passes’ and you need to have a child to qualify.

Why are DH and I less of a family because we choose not to have children? It’s hurtful to my friend who desperately tried to have children for years and couldn’t. She doesn’t need a reminder that her family is incomplete/ non- existent because they couldn’t

Oh OP, get a grip.
You seem to be looking hard for stuff to be offended by.
You and your husband are a couple, family implies children.

Trains and gyms do great couples discounts

Why do I have to pay a surcharge because I don't have an adult nuclear family
Member when I already have to pay extra for all the bills and mortgage on my own too? They don't have 'family' tickets for single parents with children either

Having children are v expensive and companies are competing for business for people looking for days out with kids.

I now have DD but none of this stuff bothered me when I was single and childfree. In fact, I don’t think I even gave it a minute’s thought.

What phrase should they use? People with kids? Surely that’s equally “hurtful”. Stop all family deals? Well that makes no commercial sense whatsoever.

Similarly, when I was single, couples’ deals didn’t upset me at all. Probably because I didn’t spend all my time naval gazing about being single and just got on with it.

You might need to take it up with the publishers of dictionaries as it's a pretty accurate use of the definition.

Cambridge 'a groupp* of peoplee* who are relatedd* to each other, such as a motherr, a fatherr, and theirr childrenn'

Collins 'A family is a group of people who are related to each other, especially parents and their children'

"hard working families" is just a re-branding of "people on benefits because their wages are diabolically low".

But it is very annoying.

And in shocking news the OP never came back

I’m have some sympathy with the OP. I can’t get worked up about family tickets and so on.

However the idea that a couple or an adult child and parent are somehow less of a family than a traditional nuclear one, which often comes with judgements around who ought to get certain times of year off or who really know what tiredness is, really grates with a lot of people in those positions.

You chose to not have children. You chose to not have a family with your husband. Therefore, you are a married couple with no children. Hence, no family (of children) discount.

You hear of couples starting a family. You chose not to start a family. I’m not sure how many ways this can be explained to you so that you understand.

If you don't have children and aren't blood related you are not family according to the definition of the word. Most people will make the assumption that you are not related to your spouse.

I would think of two people as a couple. Family can be with children, and usually is, or parents/siblings etc. But I would call you a couple.

“Breeder and crotchfruit tickets”

🤣

She may have not chosen unless I missed something?

In my view, you're a couple, not a family. As a collective, including extended family you are family. But as two people in a romantic relationship you're a couple.

Second paragraph, first sentence, 'Why are DH and I less of a family because we choose not to have children?'

@NoMor Ah right! Sorry about that.

So for all the people saying you're not family until you have children with your spouse, and your husband isn't family until you have kids - is my sister-in-law family or not? Does it depend if we have children or not?

I agree OP, couples can be a family, what else does "next of kin" mean?

No, it's just a gesture, kids or no kids.

What's just a gesture?

The whole in-law masquerade. It's social oil but ultimately meaningless.

That really is irritating. I'm part of a 'family' now (two spouses and a kid and a cat) and honestly never worked harder in my life than when I was single. Staying afloat is so much harder when you haven't got two incomes.

@Desecratedcoconut Hmm, guess it's down to individual perception. My dad's in-laws are my aunt and uncle so I don't see how that isn't family. Can't really understand people on here gatekeeping 'family', particularly when one of the top definitions on Google is literally "a group of people related by blood or marriage", contrary to people who insist there is only one definition.

Gatekeeping? I'm not sat here penning the oed, it's just my opinion.

Call them whatever you like! I have no problem with your use of the word family (I’d use it the same way), my point was just that it’s weird for the OP to be offended by businesses using it in the dictionary defined way.