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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To make my 14 year old son do his own ironing.

38 replies

drivingmisslazy · 22/12/2013 12:29

My son is generally good he will do jobs round the house to be helpful. (dishwasher, walking dog etc etc) but the main area where he drives me nuts is, he will wear a top for a few hours, it will be clean he will either put it in the washing basket or on his side for a few days before making its way to the washing basket, I have asked him plenty of times if he can hang it back up as I detest ironing and the less I do the better, especially if I know it was clean before it went int he washing basket.

I warned him last time that if he does it again he will be doing his own ironing. I did a weeks worth of washing and he had about 10 tops !, some I know have fallen off the hanger and ended up in the washing basket.

I said today he can do his own ironing (I am happy for it to be a one off) but he has sulked (Kevin the teenager style) and said I am bang out of order and mean.

So AIBU

OP posts:
AgentZigzag · 22/12/2013 12:36

You've just described my DD to a tee Grin

It's uncanny.

Of course he should do his own ironing, I was over the moon when it dawned on me DD could iron her own school shirts Grin

PumpkinPie2013 · 22/12/2013 12:37

YANBU - he needs to realise that by creating extra washing he is making work for you. By having to do his own ironing he might realise what a tedious task it is and think before putting clean clothes to be washed!

Out of interest why does he feel the need to change so often?!

niceguy2 · 22/12/2013 12:39

Do his own ironing!?!?! My daughter's been doing the family ironing since she was about 14!

Not all of it of course since there's 5 of us and there is an ungodly amount. But she is expected to do at least an hour on a Sunday night and at the very minimum do all the school uniform.

We do have a standing house rule that whoever is ironing gets first dibs on the TV remote though. So if there's something you REALLY want to watch then get the iron out and the TV is yours.

redskyatnight · 22/12/2013 12:40

Well I suppose you could temper it by saying that you will iron 4 (or whatever you deem acceptable number) a week and any more is excessive so he will iron his own.

I had to do the whole family's ironing from when I was about 13 because my mum hated ironing. I felt very put upon and even as an adult where the sensible part of me realises that children doing chores is not a bad thing, I think my mum was bang out of order and just being lazy. One of many things that didn't help our relationship.

BerryChristmas · 22/12/2013 12:41

Yes - do it. By 14 my son was doing his own washing as well. My My - how quickly things then change Xmas Grin

AgentZigzag · 22/12/2013 12:41

DD does the wear things only a few hours before I see them in the dirty wash because it's the time between getting changed from school and going to bed.

And the places I find socks/pants stuffed... Shock

Much more work for her to stuff them somewhere than just put them in the wash.

Why??

trashcanjunkie · 22/12/2013 12:41

We don't iron anything. HTH

Wellthen · 22/12/2013 12:43

Sounds reasonable - you warned him and he ignored you.
Is he the type that wont care though and will just wander around looking a scruff? I have this problem with DH Hmm threats to stop doing housework wouldn't work as he would just live in filth. sigh

AgentZigzag · 22/12/2013 12:43

'We do have a standing house rule that whoever is ironing gets first dibs on the TV remote though. So if there's something you REALLY want to watch then get the iron out and the TV is yours.'

That made me laugh Grin very sneaky clever Grin

whois · 22/12/2013 12:44

100% reasonable for him to be doing his own ironing

NigellasDealer · 22/12/2013 12:45

damn right, you will be doing him a favour

Original poster
drivingmisslazy · 22/12/2013 12:46

Thanks all did not think so, will show DS this and see if he still thinks I am the only mum that would make him do it. lol x

OP posts:
80sdrummer · 22/12/2013 12:48

YANBU at all, you are teaching him important life skills

RalphRecklessCardew · 22/12/2013 12:49

Why on God's green earth does a 14 year old need to have ironed clothes?

AgentZigzag · 22/12/2013 12:50

He won't care what a load of vipers are saying Grin

Original poster
drivingmisslazy · 22/12/2013 12:53

PumpkinPie2013

I mean he will come home from school and change, and after dinner put his pj's on.

OP posts:
NoComet · 22/12/2013 12:54

Ironing???
I almost never ironed before I had children and as soon as DD2 was able to dress herself gave up completely.

Either I became a total control freak and locked DDs wardrobe and draws, or I accepted she was going to wear three outfits a day and cause a permanent sky high ironing heap.

Thants · 22/12/2013 12:54

He should do a wash instead. Almost all clothes don't need ironing.

NoComet · 22/12/2013 12:56

Anyway do boys wear anything that needs ironing?

DH has a couple of posh shirts, but everything else looks much the same by the time he's sat in the car for an hour getting to work.

BlackeyedShepherdswatchsheep · 22/12/2013 12:56

you are absolutely unreasonble to make him do his own ironing... the worst mother in the world. how terrible to actually prepare him for coping in the adult world. mybe you could suggest t o him tht if he is not adult enough for this responsibility, he is not adult enough to do... (insert activity that he wants to do that rrequires some responsibility from him)

if it were me he would be doing his own bloody washing too.

NoComet · 22/12/2013 12:57

First dibs in the remote, surely all DCs have laptops and iPlayer and don't give a monkeys.

NoComet · 22/12/2013 12:59

Honestly no boy is going to give a flying fuck if their clothes are ironed, most don't even care if they are clean (there's always more Lynx)

Original poster
drivingmisslazy · 22/12/2013 13:01

hehe I just showed him the thread and he panicked about possibly doing it forever. We have agreed he will do it as a one-off and if it happens again he will do it again.

I am more than happy to do it usually as I will often come home from work and he has hoovered for me, or started peeling stuff for dinner. He is quite a sensitive sole and has suddenly realised I am not all bad :)

OP posts:
Joysmum · 22/12/2013 13:01

Mine is doing it at 11. She's starting will the easy stuff but if she suddenly puts the contents of her bedroom in the washing basket because she can't be arsed to hang it up, or can't be arsed to put things in the wash when they need doing, rather than the floor, then she has to put it through the wash, hang it out to dry and iron it. Nothing like her seeing things from my point of view to teach her consequences and the lesson.

Maryz · 22/12/2013 13:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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