to want to teach my 4 DSs how to change a toilet roll?

[mumof4sons]

My DSs (18, 17, 14 and 12) apparently don't know how to change a toilet roll. They don't where the new toilet rolls can be found either (found that out when Grandma asked where they were kept). Rolls have been kept in the same place for the last 13/14 years. Is this a skill that needs to be taught? Or is it an innate ability that only women have?

Their father (exH) knew how to change one. Did his mother have to teach him how to do it?

New 'man' I thought knew how to change them, but on thinking about it, doesn't have a toilet roll holder in his bathroom and it 'lives' on a shelf nearby.

Do you have to teach this life skill to 'men'?

No, you teach all useful lifeskills to all your children. Directly, so they can't weasel out of knowing.
Please don't tell me that they can't cook, use a washing machine, iron, hoover or do any girly things at all because they are male?

Once, you've taught them, can I seen DH down for some tutoring please?

He will get a new toilet role, carefully stored by me in each loo. Then carefully balances it on top of the toilet roll holder which still has the inner tube on. screams silently in to the void

my DH actually bothers to take the loo roll OFF the holder and place it on top of the loo as it's more convenient for him. When we had a new bathroom fitted it took me more than a year to persuade him that we needed a loo roll holder. I think that he probably grew up in a home where they stuck the loo roll any old where and didn't have a holder.

Changing loo roll properly is a higher level skill that it is very difficult for men to acquire (women can usually work this sort of thing out for themselves from a young age).

Just another example of why boys are so much harder to bring up than girls.

I teach the same skills to my son as I do to my daughter.

However, I haven't taught either of them to change a toilet roll. They just know where they're kept and worked it out for themselves.

I can always tell when they've done it though, because the roll is never on the right way round...

I have 5 sons and they are much better at changing the loo roll than me. I always leave it on the bath because I know they'll put it on the holder for me.

I didn't teach them, they obviously like it like that.

Now if only they would flush the toilet.

some boys seem to pick it up for themselves... my 6 yr old does this with out being asked, assuming he can see and reach the spare. He won;t (yet) go and get one out of cupboard unless asked.

Can i please send my dh and dd's along to your loo roll tutorial, they can master all things computer related but sadly all lack the loo roll gene!!!

How sad. My nearly 3 year old knows how to change the loo roll and where the spares are kept. In fact, it's one of his jobs to carry them upstairs and put them in the extra storage part of the loo roll holder.

He also is in charge of kitchen paper changing.

It's not a boy/girl thing FGS?

My 4yo DS is perfectly capable of getting a toilet roll and replacing it when he's used the last of the previous one. He puts it on the roll the wrong way round (but that's a whole other thread )

Come back and reassure us that you haven't raised 4 decorative but useless boys OP!
What do they do around the house to share in the responsibilities?

They have never had to change a toilet roll in 12-18 years? Really? My 4 boys can all do it perfectly well! Do you make their beds for them too?

My DSs are 8 and 9 and have been changing the toilet rolls for years. Never had to teach them, they just do it. Surely if you want them to do it, you just tell them?

I have the perfect solution - We don't have a toilet roll holder, we have simple toilet roll stands a bit like this one.

DS is only 3 and he enjoys stacking the new toilet rolls on it. I'm sure this thrilling game will lose its exciting edge at some point, but at least he knows how to do it!

As an aside I must say I'm at the price on my link. How much for a stick and a stand?!!!

People learn how to do it when it's not done for them. If you buy the loo roll, put it away and constantly make sure it's topped up then they don't need to learn. If they end up stranded on the loo a few times they'll learn fast .

Mine have mastered finding new loo roll and putting it near loo (not necessarily on the holder but this is not all that much of an issue for me), however they can't manage to put cardboard bit in the bin....

In the early days of my relationship with DH he used to leave the carboard rolls there indefinitely. I drew faces on them and hid them in his work bag.

Narked, nice one .

Ah, you have a loo roll fairy too. My otherwise excellent at sharing the housework husband appears to think we have one.