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

[drivingmisslazy]

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

I started making DS1 do his own washing and ironing at 15, because he was being an arse.

DS2 and DD started doing theirs at about the same time without being asked. They were 13 and 11.

Getting your DS to do his own ironing at 14 seems highly reasonable to me.

These coddled teenagers don't now they're born. My dad was out at work at 14.

My DS didn't give a stuff about his clothes being ironed.

get himt o do his own washing he wont be so quick to change every 5 minutes or just let him go out with wrinkled clothes he will get the message eventually ,

I too have 3 teen dc (well, youngest is 12 going on 16) and never do any ironing myself. ds is the only one who irons in our house.

If they put stuff in the washing basket that doesn't need a wash, then I give it a little shake and put it back on their 'putting away' pile.

Don't see the point in 5 people living in the same house doing separate washes though - not very economical use of time or hot water/electricity.

I'd start him on the ironing right now. I know someone whose three sons are all early to mid twenties, live at home and none of them know how to use an iron. Or a washer etc.

Probably explains why their girlfriends won't move I. With them.

I suppose you are right about seperate washing perhaps the op boy could do ALL the washing

FWIW op my dds iron what they want to wear and if they are happy for it not to be ironed they don't do it,

I suppose you are right about seperate washing perhaps the op boy could do ALL the washing

I like your thinking MrsJay

Mine has been doing own washing since 10 years old

Wow I am impressed, he has done his ironing and said if I do the rest of the ironing can I have an extra hour on the xbox tonight...:) did not take me too long to think of my reply.

MTBW. Make The Buggers Work.

To be a bit serious; when I was 11 - oh dear, that's fifty years ago - my DM invested in a second iron and an ironing board that would stand low enough for me, and taught me to iron, after which we shared it, if possible at the same time so that we could talk while we were doing it. It worked for us and if you have the space it might work for you.