For years after my dad and step-mom got married, he called her his sweetheart. I've always liked that because it showed how much day to day affection they still have for each other.

Don't know if that's the sort of thing that you and Peter would do, but maybe some food for thought.

lol!! How about in French -- femme?

Not that I have any experience with the term "wife", but I feel that I would (will?) feel the same.

And, know what is annoying? "Husband" sounds like a perfectly endearing term. Like, I'm sure that many husbands probably adore the term and don't ever get a negative connotation like the term "wife" does. It sounds perfectly manly, upstanding and responsible. Definitely not the same way "wife" comes off.

Aubrey and FB...I like both 'sweetheart' and 'femme' better than WIFE. Thanks for the suggestions!

Kimberly...I agree! Husband is so much nicer a word! Very annoying indeed.

This is exactly the kind of thing some wife would get all uppity about. Way to earn the word.

I KID.

You're totally right though, I hate the word. The 'I' sound in it is much too whiny and harsh sounding. No good.

The word 'wife' sounds too close to the word 'whiff' which implies stinkiness. That can't be good.

'Husband' is actually kind of nice. Husbandry - farming, cute little animals running around in pasteurs. It all has an appeal doesn't it?

You could be a 'spouse' but that's even worse. Rhymes with 'louse' and sounds like 'spews'.

How about winja? That rhymes with ninja. About as cool as it can get.

And the captcha I see typing this is 'mants' - how about that as a serendipitous alternative? KIDDING!

Joel...The entire combination of letters in the word is just BAD. It's just a bad, bad combination!

otherlibrarian...I LOVE WINJA!

I listen to Dr. Laura all the time and she is BIG on being your husbands girlfriend...you know...he comes home, you greet him with a hug and sit on his lap kinda deal. So forever girlfriend sounds perfect to me! Wife sounds like you're old, married, don't have sex & bitch all the time...forever girlfriend is like ya we still get it on and I'm hot shit.

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redbullfanatic agreed! I don't know who Dr. Laura is but she seems pretty right on.

anonymous...'girlfriend' may sound high-schooly, but at least it doesn't have that ball-and-chain heinous nag sound that 'wife' does.

This is totally cute! When MIster and I got engage, the term fiancee seemed so impossibly weird, and when we got married being called his wife was totally strange!

I think that you can be the kind of wife you want to be- for me the tert was ruined a little by high school guys calling their annoying girlfriends "The Wife" but the way I think about it now is that being a real wife rocks. And I'm really proud to use the word- I think it's hopelessly old fashioned, but I swear and know too much about twitter and the internet, so I feel like it's an endearing counter point.

And I love turning around people expectations- being young and married definitely does that!

girlfriend status- i love that.

Completely agree. The only exception is when Tom Cruise in J.M. said,
"I miss my wife...."
It sounded wonderful at that moment.

Kyla--"fiancee" was really odd for us too!

Chelsea--girlfriend status is pretty great.

besswess--that would be one of the few exceptions where it does sound really sweet :)

I have to agree with everything you've said. My bf and I have been together for 9 years, we are not married yet. But, whenever we do tie the knot I dont want to be called wife.

He somtimes refers to me as his wife to some of his friends, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I dont think I have ever once told anyone his was my husband. I dont think there would be anything wrong with that, but..well, its too hard to explain. lol.

Fiancee sounds French Poser to me...

I'm lovin' "Forever Girlfriend"... 'tis perfection!

And I shall call myself "Winja" from hence forth... even though I'm no one's wife.