It's 6pm. Do you know who your relatives are?
Apparently, I don't. Here's the thing: A patient of mine looks at my name tag today and says: "Oh, you're a ...(last name here). Are you at all related to Reto (last name here)?" And I say: "I'm very related to Reto (last name here). I'm his wife." And then the patient says (jokingly, I think?): "Ah well, his wife, then you're technically not related to him, are you? Not in blood, you know what I mean, like a sister or a cousin, etc."
What? Now, I'm not related to my own husband? Well, after very careful consideration of the issue, I come to agree with the patient. Genetically, I am not related to my husband (thank God), so I guess he's not a "relative" of mine. But then again, when someone asks you if you have any relatives, don't you think ... well, spouse, kids, parents, siblings. And even though spouse is "technically" the odd one out, a.k.a. not a blood relative, aren't they your relative anyway???
Someone help me!?!
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9 comments:
Well, the way I see it there's blood relatives and relatives by marriage.
I mean, one is related to the mother and father of their spouse by marriage, yet to your children they would be blood relatives.
So your spouse is a relative by marriage.
BTW - I have encountered some darker beers, the same colour as your hair! Just thought you'd like to know. ;-)
oh, yeah?! wonder how that beer tasted like? i'm guessing not so good, lol, but thanks :) and thanks for clearing up the relative thing, i gotta put that patient in his place next time i see him, lol!
You know what though, to me that's a statement I would expect from a Swiss citizen. The undercurrent of xenophobia over there comes through in a statement like that. If you allow just anyone to be a "relative" then just anyone might be able to become a Swiss citizen.
you couldn't be more right about that! i've been chipping away at ice over here for over three years! it's not a big dent i've left! but i have to admit, they've been pretty good to me, even if ONLY cuz i'm married to one of them. i carry the name but once i open my mouth it's like, game over! anyways, when you live on top of a mountain and eat a horse, you are one of them, eh!
thanks for visiting my blog.
i think you've got this pretty much figured out, but if you want my opinion, your husband is your relative. by law. the word "spouse" itself implies (or should imply) a non-blood relative. the word "sister", for example, implies a blood relative while the word "sister-in-law" implies a relative by marriage. normally, there should be no confusion :)
thanks ki, yeah, i've figured it out! i'm a relative damn it and that's that! the swiss people can kiss my....hand!
Or your back. Because it's so big...
yeah, yeah, you funny! i thought we were over this and moved on already!
lol. that made me confused, too.
anyway, thanks for keeping coming back to my blog. i'll link you up. =]
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