Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To rant about my children's now ruined brand new clothes?

275 replies

D0oinMeCleanin · 02/08/2013 15:31

I know I am BU but I am so pissed off I don't care.

My parents took my children camping at their expense for two weeks. This is awesome and I am incredibly lucky to have such a close and supportive family.

As the weather was hot and they've grown since last summer, I had gave them their holiday clothes for our holiday this year.

My parents have allowed them to go a play park in their brand, spanking new white shorts. They have not soaked the resulting stains as soon as they occurred, they've been through the wash twice with surf, vanish in wash and vanish spray on stain remover, nothing has touched it, they're now soaking in the sink with half water, half vanish. They're obviously going top need replacing Angry

I know I am lucky that my kids got a free holiday and in the grand scheme of things they're only shorts, but I am so fucking annoyed that no-one thought to ask them to change into more suitable clothing for going to the park in the mud. They'd only worn the shorts once.

OP posts:
HappyMummyOfOne · 02/08/2013 17:12

YABVU, your parents did a lovely thing and you've "jokingly" mentioned the ruined shorts. Is that all you really have to worry about? Never mind a huge thank you to them and arranging a thank you etc.

I never understand play clothes and best, children get dirty and stained. If you dont want it to happen dont buy clothes in light colours. DS wears whatever he likes as long as suitable for the weather. If it gets stained, so be it. He will outgrow it anyway so it doesnt have to last a lifetime.

Most adults would struggle to keep white shorts or trousers clean never mind children.

HerculePoirotsTache · 02/08/2013 17:13

YABU. Children and pale coloured shorts do not mix. There are worse things to worry about and you are incredibly lucky that your DParents took them on a fun holiday.

Rooners · 02/08/2013 17:14

OP, with all due respect you are buying the wrong things with the wrong attitude. The expectation of controlling what and when your kids wear when they are not actually with you is nuts to start with.

Having some kind of design on what will be worn with what, and for which precise activity, is equally bonkers.

I may be thinking differently due to having boys, BUT I buy things with the complete expectation that they will get worn for goodness knows what (at present it is 'coal mining' in the back garden - ds1 has dug an actual trench) and with whatever is to hand, for whatever activity is partaken in on any given day.

But we don't do posh or pubs or proper holidays really...I don't 'dress them up' for anyone or anything, though they look smart when they're meeting a relative or something like that.

I just fail to understand the logic in your decisions re clothes. They're not Sindy dolls, they are children and they will wear the wrong stuff and they will get dirty whatever they are doing.

Your folks have done them a massive service in taking them on hols
I think you need to write this off as literally a small price to pay.

ComposHat · 02/08/2013 17:20

Given your petulant display, it is highly unlikely your parents will be taking your kids camping anytime soon, can they take me instead? I really don't mind how many pairs of shorts get knackered either.
Also I really want a disco suit! bit like Travolta's in Saturday Night Fever!

MardyBra · 02/08/2013 17:22

I can't work out if this thread is a parody or not. Grin

SoupDragon · 02/08/2013 17:26

OP: AIBU?
MN: Yes!
OP: No I'm not!

[happy sigh]

Get some colour run remover for the play suits.

Bleach the shorts - even if they end up plain white it's no loss.

Have a glass or two of wine.

FannyMcNally · 02/08/2013 17:28

Haha good one op! I nearly believed this thread until the play suits fiasco Grin

MardyBra · 02/08/2013 17:35

Maybe it's a reverse...

EuphemiaLennox · 02/08/2013 17:44

My kids have going out clothes and clothes for scruffs.

If theyre doing something messy outdoors I don't let them wear the 'good' clothes. This needs policing by me as the kids seem totally oblivious to the distinction between the types of clothes and will just wear whatever they fancy. (incidental DH is also oblivious to the distinction)

BUT when they go to stay with my parents, I totally accept that I will have no control over What so ever what they wear and when and that I can't expect my parents to police this in the way I would because

  1. they don't know 'the system'
  2. 'the system' actually only exists in my head and neither the kids or my parents can read my mind 3)my parents will let the kids choose whatever they want to wear as they just like them to be happy and don't give a toss.

So they wear embarrassing scruffed clothes to restaurants and lovely shirts to walk the dogs. Some things have been ruined.

My mother however is very good and always makes a good attempt to wash and rescue all clothes, but then she's not camping.

When things gets ruined my mum tells me and I go 'oh dear' and roll my eyes at ds2 who rolls his eyes back at me.

YABVVVU not too mention ungrateful and lacking in perspective.

Is this thread helping you see that at all??

Original poster
D0oinMeCleanin · 02/08/2013 17:49

My children are allowed to get dirty, but if the shorts had gotten that dirty while I'd been there I'd have soaked them in a bucket full of hot water and vanish before the stain dried.

The play suits have washed okay. You can still see splodges if you look really hard for them but I'm fine with that.

The shorts are now in the washer with actual bleach, the jeans that were there with them are not my children's. I'd thought they were the jeans MIL bought dd2 for her birthday but they're not they belong to my neice. My sister has given me permission to bleach them, since I can't make them any worse.

The mud/oil is off a wet slide, they landed in that mulchy wood stuff when it was wet. They were at the pub when it happened. They have slides and mud at the pub. I didn't know this, I've never been. If they go again they won't take any nice clothes for an evening, they'll only take play clothes.

We do have a Sainsbury's across the other side of town. My mum is taking me on Sunday, if the stains don't come out, so long as I buy them some parrot food while we're there because they are running out. That's fine.

We've also arranged to go to a charity dog show together so that my dog can whoop their dog's butt in the cutest dog show, so I think they still love me even if I am slightly controlling over what my kids wear.

Soupy I said right at the start that I was aware I was BU but that does not mean I can't be annoyed that their new clothes were ruined. I haven't said I expect or would even ask for them to be replaced. I don't even think I've blamed my parents. I am just pissed off that the shorts are ruined.

OP posts:
EuphemiaLennox · 02/08/2013 18:41

Er, I think you quite clearly did blame your parents and were considering saying something.

EuphemiaLennox · 02/08/2013 18:42

Er, I think you quite clearly did blame your parents and were considering saying something.

FannyMcNally · 02/08/2013 18:42

P

FannyMcNally · 02/08/2013 18:43

I was going to post something but then the mention of the parrot threw me...

Original poster
D0oinMeCleanin · 02/08/2013 18:45

The parrot is evil. He goes in moods with me and needs bribing into not attacking me with grapes and bananas when I look after him.

Anyway, I have a puppy now. I don't care about shorts anymore. I've a lovely, cuddly puppy to console me Grin

OP posts:
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 02/08/2013 18:46

You bribe him with grapes and bananas, or he attacks you with grapes and bananas? :)

Original poster
D0oinMeCleanin · 02/08/2013 18:49

I bribe him with fruit and he nicked my peanut butter on toast when I went round there for my breakfast before the gym so he wasn't on his own too long, the evil, toast napping fecker Grin

OP posts:
cq · 02/08/2013 18:50

I know just how you feel, OP.

Years ago my DD pestered and pestered and pestered for this lovely (expensive) white t-shirt while on holiday. Gave in to pester power which I NEVER normally do.

Went to the pub for lunch and she promptly got ketchup all down it.

I can still remember the feelings of rage. It was completely unreasonable, and I was mostly mad at myself for buying her the damned thing. Still doesn't help the rage.

Have a Wine

I did make her carry on wearing the cursed thing until she grew out of it evil witch - but then I felt like a crap mother for dressing her in stained clothes.

So yes, YABU, and you know it, but that doesn't stop the feeling, I know.

ouryve · 02/08/2013 18:52

Why on earth did you buy white shorts? What are they supposed to do in them? Sit still and look pretty?

xylem8 · 02/08/2013 18:54

Op have you ever been camping?Soaking stains isn't really something you can do that easily!
keep damping them down and hanging them in the sun.The sun bleaches anything

Original poster
D0oinMeCleanin · 02/08/2013 18:56

No, I've never been camping. I said that earlier, my parents can only go away when I am available to mind all the exotic birds and be on standy-by in case the aggressive Whippet gets booted out of the kennels for biting people, so I never get to go camping with them.

OP posts:
Capitola · 02/08/2013 18:57

I can't imagine caring that much over shorts. Just let them wear them, even if they're not blindingly white.

soverylucky · 02/08/2013 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

atlassneezed · 02/08/2013 19:04

Just leave them in a bucket of water with a little bleach on them for half an hour and then do a hot wash (or add some bleach straight to the really bad stains). That always gets my kids white, stained polo shirts looking completely white again (sorry for sounding like an advert!). I have done this loads of times to really dirty, deep stains and it never fails to lift them.

Rooners · 02/08/2013 19:06

I understand that you're upset and yes I probably would be too...I get annoyed with my sister, my parents, in fact anyone who cares for my children when I am not there.

However I have to rein it in as then my kids would never have any fun, or experiences apart from the ones I do with them

I think it is a control issue and I do get it but I think you have to use perspective and give up a bit of the control when you hand them over, and kind of get over it a bit. Smile Otherwise you'd be miserable.