Annoying habit

[lizbud]

Ellie, maybe she just doesn't do that; it's possible her family only acknowleges when an answer is required. Maybe you should just say something along the lines of, "I just thought I'd ask, and maybe I'm being a bit overreactive, but when I tell you something, could you acknowledge it in some small way, just to let me know you heard me?" It's possible she really doesn't think it's a problem.

I agree. Her upbringing may be quite different than yours. Maybe
her family didn't think it necessary to respond, unless they heard a question .

I never called my MIL Mom. My kids called her Nana & I did too.

[Taz_Zoee]

Sure, it'd be nice to know the person heard you. I mean, if she's watching TV or reading and you're talking to her, just eye contact would be enough to let you know she was listening.

I refer to Bruce's mom (we are not married) as Mom on cards and such. But I have never called her mom to her face. I could. But I just haven't.
She even refers to herself in cards and emails to me as Mom #2.

[Karen]

I don't call Paul's mother Mom, never have. Love her, and the reverse is true, what we call each other has nothing to do with that.

I agree with those who said the acknowledgment of someone speaking to you is an upbringing things, so just gently remind her from time to time, and don't make a big deal out of it, okay? I am sure she means no disrespect.

[Laura's Babies]

I don't think it is done in disrespect either... it is all how we were brought up. Some would look at someone who responds to everything a person said to them as having to have the last word.. You just never know... it is all in how we are brought up.

Never called a mother in law Mom either, my daughter in law don't call me Mom.. my feeling are not hurt, she has a mother is how I see it. She does address card and stuff to "Mom" and I sign the stuff I send her as "Mom". She talks to me about stuff she could never talk to her own Mom about and that makes me feel better than her ever calling me "Mom"..

Here's a funny for you. When I first came to Louisiana and married, my mother in law hugged me the first time we met.. I was horrified! What was that woman doing hugging me?! She did it every time we saw each other and it took me YEARS to be comfortable with it.... it is a southern thing, nothing I was brought up doing. After awhile, I came to love those hugs from her and other southern people and now I am the one that hugs everybody first!

Really, it is just what you are brought up to do or not do.

[Twisterdog]

I will never call my MIL "Mom" ... she's not my mom. I only have one mom, who raised me. No one else earned that title.

I agree with others ... I would find it incredibly annoying if someone acknowledged every sentence I said. If you are having a two-way conversation and making eye contact, I take that to mean the other person is listening.

And if you are speaking paragraphs, and getting no response, then it's really not a conversation anyway. I would take that to mean the other person isn't interested in what I am talking about.

[Seravieve]

I totally understand the lack of response being frustrating, but like others said, it could be her upbringing. My family ALWAYS responds with something. I'd probably call her out on it. If its that frustrating, it'd drive me nuts till I found out the reasoning behind it.

I would never call my MIL 'mom' either. I won't even call my dad's 2nd wife my 'stepmom'. Since they divorced when I was 16 and he didnt remarry until a couple years later, she's never been a mother figure to me. Maybe if my mom wasn't such a big part of my life, and my MIL was a mother figure to me, then I'd consider it.

[catnapper]

I called my mother in law "Nan", which is what the kids called her. I call my father in law what the kids call him too. I never felt comofrtable calling them mom or dad. So I wouldn't be insulted over not being called "mom" myself, just so long as whatever name used is said with respect.

As for not acknowledging my statements, I'd find it annoying, but if its consistent, I wouldn't worry about it. My own dad doesn't acknowledge what's said too often, so I guess I'm used to it. I'll tell you what's annoying is when you ask him a question and you don't get an answer until 5 minutes later! The question could be as simple as "Are you hungry?" and you wait and wait, til you give up and start doing something else, then the answer "nah, I ate sonething a little while ago" He is what he is!

[Asiel]

I never called my mother-in-law mom either because non of the other married in laws did. Had she asked me to I would have had no trouble doing it.

I'm used to responding if spoken to so I really don't understand someone who doesn't acknowledge something you say to them. Maybe next time you could just ask if she heard you, could she be hard of hearing and you didn't notice? If she says she heard you I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask in a joking way why she doesn't respond when you tell her something so you'll know she did hear.
Could be just a habit of hers.
Just make sure you keep her fair and not foul

[Medusa]

You'd probably become annoyed w/me, too, Ellie, b/c I don't comment either when someone says something to me unless I'm asked a question, even when speaking on the phone. As a matter of fact, when someone keeps saying "Uh huh" while I'm talking, that annoys me. The only time I would ask "Did you hear what I said?" would be if I could clearly see that the person was preoccupied and probably didn't hear me. And I never called my MILs "mom". I had one mom, she's gone and that's it. One to a customer. (for me, that is)