conuly

My parents are Nana and Pawpaw to my children, Mom and Dad usually to me and Steve, rarely Mumsie and Papa-san.

My in-laws are Oma and Opa to my children, Mom and Dad to me.

My ex-husband is "your father", "your biological father", or "your sperm donor" when I'm talking about him to my son, although the latter is VERY rare and only when I'm feeling particularly vengeful. My ex-husband's parents were grandmother and grandfather until they died, and were infrequently referred to or communicated with.

Steve and I, referring to ourselves or each other when talking to the children (or occasionally each other) are Mommy and Daddy. My son Colin has never called Steve "step-father" or any variant, and I'm not really sure he understands that Carrie is actually his half-sister ("But she's a whole person!"). I don't think that explaining Carrie is his half-sister is important enough to belabor: the sister is the important part.

And as kind of an aside, custom in my family growing up was that close friends of my parents were "aunt" or "uncle", occasionally "grandparent" if the generational gap was suitable for it. I've continued that habit with my children. Does anyone else do that?