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AIBU?

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Original poster

To expect the family to know how to keep warm

37 replies

CalicoBlue · 22/01/2015 21:43

The boiler is broken so the house is freezing, luckily we do have hot water. It should be fixed tomorrow.

The kids are completely bemused as how to keep warm. I am constantly telling them to keep doors shut, not walk around in bare feet, put a jumper on.

Are we spoilt now days with constantly warm houses and hot water?

OP posts:
AnnoyingOrange · 22/01/2015 21:45

My kids walk round in T shirts, but they do like to snuggle under a fleecy throw when they watch TV

Goldmandra · 22/01/2015 22:18

Our boiler has broken tonight. Luckily my children are well trained in keeping themselves wrapped up and warm as I am a stingy cow and only put the heating on for half an hour morning and evening anyway.

To be fair we do have the log burner lit in the evenings and we have lots of throws and hot water bottles.

wobblyweebles · 23/01/2015 00:29

I suppose it depends on how cold it is where you are. When the boiler doesn't work here we're lucky if the house stays above freezing, and I usually boot the family out to a hotel. I then sleep in the sitting room by the woodburner, and feed wood into it every few hours.

Goldmandra · 23/01/2015 08:39

I suppose it depends on how cold it is where you are.

It's flipping arctic here this morning. Log burner is working harder and we have hot water due to immersion heater. Both DCs are off school so have just given them hot water bottles and hot drinks.

DH thinks he has worked out the problem and is picking a part up later this morning. If it doesn't work, I will be considering booking into the Travel Lodge down the road, if only so we can have showers without getting hypothermia!

BIWI · 23/01/2015 08:42

I remember the days before we had central heating! In the winter it wasn't unusual to have frost on the inside of the windows.

But I don't remember being cold. I think we just got on with it. (And no doubt wore jumpers/slippers, etc)

Theboodythatrocked · 23/01/2015 08:50

Me too Biwi getting dressed in bed. The only heating was a 2 bar electric fire. You couid see your breath inside. Mom knitted us bed socks and we lived with hot water bottles and blankets draped over us.

Do u remember the strikes of the 70s? Power always going off.

My kids didn't understand until they went to crappy accommodation at uni and now they know Grin

Younger ones not a clue.

googoodolly · 23/01/2015 08:51

We had no heating for a couple of weeks two winters ago. And no hot water. It was HORRIBLE. We had a gas fire in the living room but that was it. It was fine in there during the day, but you do get slightly sick of washing in an Arctic bathroom in water heated by the kettle.

I can cope with the cold just about - lots of layers, hot water bottle, blankets etc. We have a spare "sofa duvet" for the winter so we can snuggle under it while we're in there. Lack of cold water, on the other hand...shudder.

Theboodythatrocked · 23/01/2015 08:51

Oh yes slippers from gran for Christmas. Fur lined and good soles. Grin

Theboodythatrocked · 23/01/2015 08:53

Just thinking how bloody hard it was for my mom with no washing machine, tumble dryer or radiators! And I was a bed wetter! Eek.

Goldmandra · 23/01/2015 09:01

I remember the days before we had central heating!

We lived in this house for three years before we had the central heating installed. I had forgotten how cold it was! I was thrilled when DH was made redundant because it meant we had a lump sum to get gas brought to the house and a boiler fitted!

It's amazing how used you can get to a bit of luxury Smile

ChocLover2015 · 23/01/2015 09:27

Wow! It's minus 3 here this morning! I think anyone would still feel cold in several jumpers and woolly socks!!

Ohfourfoxache · 23/01/2015 09:39

I remember getting dressed in bed - and I'm only 32!

We had single glazing and louvre windows and our room had a huge bay window (as did M&D's room and the living and dining rooms). It was absolutely fucking freezing, especially in the mornings.

But that was absolutely nothing compared to stories from older family. Dad remembers frost on the inside of the windows, and my grandma told us stories of glasses of water freezing on the night stand overnight and snow drifts taller than local buses (different families, both outskirts of Edinburgh).

I don't think our dc will ever believe my dad's stories from his childhood - we really do live with luxuries nowadays.

GoldfishSpy · 23/01/2015 09:42

We don't have our heating on except the very occasional hour. Kids all wear dressing gowns and slippers at home and keep active.

We all have electric blankets though so beds are very snuggly :)

OOAOML · 23/01/2015 09:48

we don't have central heating so my children have grown up knowing about layers, slippers etc. I am always a bit bemused at news articles on fuel prices that show families sitting in t shirts whilst the heating blasts out.

Damnautocorrect · 23/01/2015 09:55

We don't have central heating either so this is my life. We spend a lot of winter under blankets with hot water bottles. Our electric blanket is bliss, showers and trying to shave your legs are a problem though.

GretnaGreen · 23/01/2015 10:01

You learn when you live somewhere cold. My current flat is the coldest place I have ever lived (impossible to heat without spending billions). I have never needed liked slippers or pajamas very much before but now they are a godsend. I remember the house I grew up in as being quite chilly but this is insane.

Baddz · 23/01/2015 10:01

I remember as a child we didn't have central heating, double glazing or an inside loo!
Some winter mornings there would Ice on the inside of the window!
We had dressing gowns, used hot water bottles and had slippers. mum would warm our undies by the fire before school.
We only had one room downstairs to sit in and that was warm due to the gas fire.

GretnaGreen · 23/01/2015 10:02

To be fair, I think I will probably remain a proponent of the PAJO system even if we move to a warmer house...

Notso · 23/01/2015 10:08

My parents still don't have central heating. They do have a log burner now which is way better than their old coal fire.
"Shut the doooooor" was a common phrase during my childhood as was
"You'll get chilblains"... and I did.

I hate a hot house though. When we had our boiler serviced the plumber told us we weren't running it properly and turned everything up. I was mafted. I never have the heating on in our bedroom and keep the velux window open unless it's raining or snowing.

Tykeisagirl · 23/01/2015 10:13

We had no central heating until I was about 9, just a calogas heater inthe living room and my mum's bedroom (where I often slept). I remember getting dressed in bed, frost on the inside of the windows and being able to see my breath in the kitchen in the morning. I now live in a lovely, toasty new build flat, if DD ever has to spend time in a cold house with sash windows where the cold air whistles past you in bed she's in for a shock.

BlackDaisies · 23/01/2015 10:26

This thread makes me feel old. I too remember my bedroom windows being covered with thick ice on the inside. I remember waking up one morning with completely numb, blue-ish ice cold feet as the covers had fallen off. My children never seem to feel the cold, but I can imagine they too would complain if the boiler broke and the house gradually got colder. I'd chuck a throw over them and snuggle up together on the sofa.

Immovableobject · 23/01/2015 10:57

My 3 year old knows to shut the door 'to keep the heat in' but it's a big old house and a devil to heat. She is currently layered in:
Vest
Long sleeved vest
Tshirt
Sweatshirt
Butterfly princess dress
Angel wings (not strictly thermal...)
Leggings
Wellie socks
Slippers

However, I get regular consignments of hand-me-downs from a friend with two older girls, all summer gear. I once asked what happened to the winter stuff to be told she never bought any - Tshirts and shorts all year round with the heating on full blast Shock My DD wears the tshirts 3 at a time

Looking forward to lighting the log burner after lunch for a good huddle Smile

GoldfishSpy · 23/01/2015 11:02

Notso, I am the same! I hate a hot house and don't sleep we'll unless it is cool. My mum's house is boiling but when we stay they turn the heating off in our room and I open the window though it is not allowed

Enidblytonrules · 23/01/2015 11:17

Another one who remembers ice on the inside of the windows in the morning and waiting for parent to light the coal fire so we could come downstairs and get dressed. I also remember the paraffin heater in the bathroom to stop the pipes freezing - how we never blew up the house with that I will never know - there was an art to lighting it and getting the funnel on before the flame shot up. We also had ascot geysers in the bathroom and kitchen for hot water. Now dh and I have central heating but I always wear layers of warm clothing - why spend money on keeping a place hot enough to wear tee shirts when warm clothes keep you warm for nothing?

HumphreyCobbler · 23/01/2015 11:18

My children won't wear slippers or socks unless made to, even though bits of our house are freezing. Downstairs is ok but upstairs needs insulating so is pretty chilly.

I once lived in a house that was so cold, in the spring we heard a funny noise in the kitchen and realised that it was the fridge coming on for the first time in months. It had been colder than the fridge in the kitchen for all that time. DH's contact lenses froze in their solution in that house too. We were students though, we were tough.