To think parents should at least iron uniforms

Must be, but happily don't care 😉

I don't even know where my iron is, must be at least 10 years since I've used it! Revelation, ironing is a monumental waste time of time.
Even my mother who used to iron socks has given up. She now 'hand irons' she tells me, smooths down with her hand then folds, you should try it OP, free up some precious time. Life is just way to short for ironing.

My older one does his own shirts in secondary. I don't bother with trousers, just hang them carefully.

It seems I'm in the minority with you OP. I like things to be ironed too.

I offered someone a lift once and apologised about the mess as she was getting into the car. Instead of saying don't worry about it, as I'd have expected, she agreed that it was a mess!

She wasn't wrong but I never offered her a lift again!!

I’m with you although it seems like we are in a minority. I generally don’t iron because life is too short but I could never send my kids to school in unironed uniform. Once they were old enough to do it themselves they did but until then I took pride in sending my kids off looking smart. How they came back was a different issue 😂

My husband irons the uniforms on a Sunday night while watching football highlights. He sets up the ironing board, gets all the uniforms together and stands in front of the telly ironing everything and hanging it all up. Has done since the kids were in nursery and they're high school now. But that's us. On the other hand our kids do their own hair- sometimes beautifully but usually very shoddily! Other people have non ironed uniforms and perfect hair, some have both and some have neither. Each to their own.

I’m a working single parent and I’ve always ironed the kids uniform if needed. Never bother with trousers or blazers as they don’t crease, nor things like the sweatshirts in primary school. But the secondary school shirts look awful without a quick iron. It’s not snobby, I just don’t want them to look scruffy, in the same way that I wouldn’t go to work wearing an un-ironed shirt myself. Obviously if my life was in chaos and I was struggling with my health, it would probably be one of the first things to stop doing. But while I’m well, it seems a sensible thing to do.

My school uniform was always ironed until I was trusted to use an iron to iron my own uniform which was probably year 8. Dc aren't forced to wear uniforms right now which is fine to fold neatly as soon as it is dried and it will look nice and neat if you press it and spread it on your lap neatly and fold. Most clothes are joggers and T-shirts or jogger jumpers which are absolutely fine to fold neatly but if they start wearing uniforms, they will be ironed until they can do it themselves and only shirts and trousers will be ironed.

This is my take with my children too.

I actually think OP has a point and I will begin ironing uniforms immediately

I will have to stop washing them though.

Hear, hear !

Don't forget dirty caked up with mud shoes 🤢

All washed and ironed over the weekend + husbands shirts. Everyone ready for the week.

I steam the polos/shirts as they dry on hangers and it takes 5mins to do the weeks worth and does look so much better.

But who is ironing knitwear? Jumper and cardi? Didn't even realise that was an option!

I have to admit I did go through a stage of ironing my dc's uniforms. But they'd put them on and immediately do headstands on the sofa, roll about on the floor. We'd get to school and they're climbing trees, playing football, doing handstands so before we got through the gate they looked like scruffy urchins anyway!

@Ficklebricks so how do single working parents manage? You seem to be implying that ironing can only be done in households with a SAHP or at least a parent who works part time.

Channel your feelings into complaining to the schools about inappropriate uniform for children. Most professions do not require such a strict dresscode five days a week.

I never ironed uniform, eldest is 30, youngest is 14.
Never looked mega creased due to use of tumble dryer.
However, try harder not to judge others. You do not know what facilities and cash they have available. See also different things are important to different people.

I used to iron uniform for the first week back - thought it doesn't hurt to start off neat
But after that, not unless the shirt is on show - if hidden under a jumper what's the point?
I always figured that clean was good enough.

It’s a relief to read the replies on this - I’m glad to know I’m not alone! I’m a SAHM and still have better things to do with my time than iron!

Shirts are one thing but school cardigan/jumpers I have always dried them hanging up and they don't crease at all . I don't fold them they stay on hangers. Same with skirt/trousers.

I'm the same as you OP. Everything is ironed, clean and neat. Shoes cleaned and PE washed and folded. Happy for it to get muddy and worn once they go to school but starts the day off on the right foot.

I think it's a state of mind you instil in your kids that helps them as they go into their working lives. Along with showering regularly, hair cuts, table manners and please/thank you's. How you present to the world does make a difference in how people subconsciously view you.

It's just been a routine we've had through working ridiculous full time working hours, to doing house renovations and moving locations, alongside two young kids and a masters degree. Its routine and just baked into the rhythm of the week.

I'm not judging others who don't, they need to do what's right for their family. It's just what we've chosen to do as our parents did for us and has stood us in good stead.

I think it's worth you unpicking why. Is it because you're worried about being judged? (In the same way you are judging the parents who don't iron their children's uniform?).