Recently, my friend told me the story of one of her aunts hitting the dating scene after getting a divorce at 37. Her aunt finally found someone who was worth her time, but whenever she would introduce him to other people, she would just say "my friend."
Of course, my friend had to ask her why she didn't use the term "boyfriend." Her aunt's response: "Boyfriend is a term I haven't used since college."
My friend nor I knew that the term shouldn't be used after a certain time. Plus, I think it's cute when senior citizens use the term, especially when they go out on dates. I mean you could use terms like companion and significant other, but I've found that unless your people know who you're dating, they begin questioning the person's gender. And that leads you down the road to a whole other blog.
Do you think "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" are terms that expire at a certain age? If you don't use those titles, what do you call the person if you're not married?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
So what do you call him?
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6 comments:
If he's truly your boyfriend, I say run with that....but then again, I'm 26 years old and still believe in my heart of hearts that I'm 18. Still, I say "boyfriend." But when wanting to be general during introductions, "friend" is absolutely acceptable....when talkign with girlfriends about your "boyfriend" I say anything goes.
i say use whatever term floats your boat. i probably would never use the term boyfriend to describe my significant other. but that's just me. although things like life partner, partner, or significant other tends to raise eyebrows with family members. so i say use friend & if they ask for clarification then give it
If I'm unsure of the status of our relationship I just refer to him as "the guy I'm dating"
My grandfather called the woman he was dating his "lady friend." I don't think there's a cut-off age, but I can see how someone could see girlfriend or boyfriend as juvenile. After all, we (for the most part) stop calling people boys and girls after they turn 18.
Sometimes there are words that sound odd when used beyond a certain age! However trying to find good words that replace them is even harder, so go ahead and use boyfriend-girlfriend-sweetheart-ladyfriend-boo all you want to.
Proof read please.
It's very easy to assume that the 37 year old you referenced uses the term "friend" and suddenly became your "cute senior citizen."
Grow up!
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