A quick note on terminology

[redbird]

Last weekend, I was discussing getting together with a friend visiting from out of town, and emailed her to say that, since our original discussion, "a member of my chosen family" (meaning roadnotes) had become ill, so everything was in the air.

On Wednesday, that friend called to see about meeting for lunch (which turned out not to be practical) and asked "how's your other?" I blinked for a moment, then parsed that she was asking about Roadnotes,and said "much better." I added that if "if she was a sweetie I'd have said so"--I'm not exactly shy about my beloveds--but the terminology gets fuzzier for the people we love and choose as family who aren't romantic partners. My partners are family by choice, but they aren't the only family I've chosen.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

On this, we use the language similarly.

I only have the one partner, but I have a large chosen family.

[wilfulcait.livejournal.com]

Is there a one-word term for this? "How's your family member" sounds a bit lumpy. "Everybody doing okay at your place?" implies that you live together.

I love this terminology stuff.

[shikzoid.livejournal.com]

Very well put.

[redbird]

In retrospect, I could have saved myself some trouble and said "a relative." Maybe next time.