Cousin’s kids called nieces and nephews.

[ThatRubyMoose]

Over the last few years has anybody noticed this trend for calling your cousins’ kids nieces and nephews?

A further question can anybody tell me why I get irrationally angry about it?

There also seems to be a move away from calling your siblings’ partners aunt and uncle.

Do I live in a weird microcosm or have other people noticed this?

it really ticks me off.

I don’t have any siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews or aunts and uncles. This is all very confusing to me.

I think it’s a lovely tradition. Even my mums closest friends are called “auntie”.

Same with my nephew. Also, my daughter is an only so she won’t have the title otherwise, and she deserves it as she will be the best Aunty.

I think you may have just married into a particularly twattish family, tbh. Your poor DD! That was really quite unpleasant.

I call my cousin’s children my cousins because it’s easier. And many of my cousins I actually call aunt or uncle because of the generational gap.

I think it’s a reasonable shorthand to convey the nature of the relationship rather than the exact “scientific” relationship, when these are children of a different generation to you.

I’ve even called my children’s half siblings my nephew and niece before just to shortcut the the essential info that I’m talking about a child in the family.

I’m West African. ANYONE who is related to you annd not a member of your nuclear family is your aunt/uncle if older, cousin if same generation, niece/nephew if younger. There are no exceptions! 🤣

Additionally, every friend my parents have ever had is my auntie or uncle, and their kids are all my cousins. These are the rules.

The rise in only children. I am an only child, as is my husband, we have one child and won’t be having any further ones. In order for our child to have a family network beyond grandparents we call our cousins children’s niece/nephew and cousin as we have a good relationship with them and want to build security round our child.

Who cares 🤷‍♀️

I have a friend who constantly posts about her cousin and the cousin’s children who she refers to as nieces and nephews (annoying, your cousin’s children are not your niece or nephew).

Saw said cousin at a party last year. ‘So how are you two related, which side…?’ I asked. Beloved ‘cousin’ then admitted they are not related at all, they were neighbours as children.

🥴

Same in my friend group, family is mostly ‘cousin’ because it’s too complicated to work out who is what to who so outside of immediate aunts and uncles it’s a cousin.
my dc have more non-related aunts/uncles/cousins than related ones. Not sure anyone not directly involved in our circle would ever know the difference.

My husband calls his cousins kids our kids cousins and it annoys me- the kids get confused hearing about these cousins they’ve never met before. Cousins to me are only your siblings kids

Your siblings kids are definitely nephews and nieces in all cultures. 🫡

In Spanish we have "sobrino de primo hermano", shortened to sobrino, which literally means first cousin nephew. My first cousin´s boy is my nephew. You´d die of high blood pressure here.

I understand why it annoys you. It annoys me that kids are taught to call their biological aunt, uncles husbands or wives auntie or uncle.

I´m Spanish, and what you say makes absolute sense. My cousins´ kids are my nephews and nieces, and always have been.

Calling your first to eighth cousin’s kids neices and nephews is natural in my religion (Hindu) as we have a familial relationship with them. It came into play in UK cities in the 70s just as marrying your first / second / third cousin started to become unpopular in white British culture so it’s not a new thing.

And the terms ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ for the people married to your biological aunts and uncles is a courtesy term that only really applies to the people they were married to when you were a child. Eg if my aunt remarried now (in my 40s) I would use first names too.

For me it's different but the same. We're all cousins. Regardless whether it's first removed half auntie sec ond cousin what. Just cousins. And any family friend that's been around awhile is aunty and uncle too 😂

Over the last few years has anybody noticed this trend for calling your cousins’ kids nieces and nephews?

No.

A further question can anybody tell me why I get irrationally angry about it?

No. If I had to try and guess, I'd say you don't have enough going on in your life.

Do I live in a weird microcosm?

Apparently, yes.

This is totally the norm in plenty of cultures, Black families too! It’s a respect thing and I think it’s beautiful.

I don’t understand why anyone would get upset about kids calling actual related family aunties because it’s easier and feels more personal than any “second cousin” bullshit !

All over Asia! Everyone addresses you as bro, sis, uncle or aunty depending on how old you look.

There is a relative I call niece but she is actually the great granddaughter of my mothers eldest sister 🥴 but her mother and I were brought up together as similar ages so she calls me auntie and I am often her first port of call before her actual aunties on dad's side and sometimes her mum as I can be neutral about what she is doing.
It doesn't really matter what exactly they are - i assume a cousin is a same age relative, auntie is older and niece is younger whether it is actually 1st, 2nd or 3rd cousin once twice or three times removed

I’m AuntieCoffee to my Cousins children.

When I talk about them, to say ‘my cousins kids…’ seems like they’re not as close to me as they are - I like calling them my niece and nephew (I do have a ‘full’ niece as well…).

Usually it’s in passing conversation so it’s easier to say DN & DN instead of explaining that my cousin is like a Sister to me blah blah blah blah.