At what age should a child start ironing?

[Boogers]

H and I had a big argument last night about the things that DS(12) can and can't do. I said DS should be learning how to iron by now, to which H strongly disagreed.

I remember ironing my dad's hankerchiefs when I was about 7 or 8, and when I was about 12 or 13 I was ironing my school uniform on a Sunday evening (in autumn it was 5 shirts, 3 box pleated skirts, 1 blazer, in summer it was 5 dresses and 1 blazer).

DS had no issues with co-ordination or ability to sense hot and cold, there is no reason why he can't learn to use an iron. H says that he and his brother never ironed when they were younger (his brother is 40 and has never ironed in his life; his parents, my in-laws, do it all for him).

Who is being unreasonable here, me or H? Should I encourage DS to learn how to iron?

prettybird; yes, that shirt would be noticeably crumpled, but many (most?) non-ironers would simply not wear (or even buy) anything which needed ironing in order to look presentable.
I make most of my own clothes and they get ironed once, maybe twice if I have to make a lot of adjustments. Other than that, I just choose fabrics which are easy to care for and don't crease every time you look at them.

I'm pretty sure that those teaching their children to iron are also teaching them to cook and clean up after themselves and the other things that adults do

Actually, yes.

My 11 year old DS was in charge of the frying eggs last night for a little while, does some supermarket shopping by himself, sometimes vacuums, sets the table, puts his clothes away, cleans up any crumbs he drops in the living room, and often makes snacks to take to school.
Ironing (and he's only done it once, as I said earlier) is part of becoming more independent, self-reliant, and contributing to life at home in general.

Marymary I am fairly sure that earlier in the thread people were saying that they would rather teach them to cook and clean than iron - i'm saying that it's not mutually exclusive.

I can trump iron babygros and raise you my Nan who ironed everything that wasn't moving quick enough towels and swimming costumes, as well as my tiny thongs. It was sheer madness.

I do think in general the attitudes to cleaning stem from social indoctrination from around the industrial revolution. People (workers) were made to feel they were lazy ad sinning if they didn't work their fingers to the bone constantly (which was very convenient if you were a mill owner) 'idle hands are the devils playground' etc also to stop the spread of diseases the 'cleanliness next to godliness' idea. Therefore people cleaned and toiled constantly and it became a mark of pride.

But then things changed, modern inventions made that level of cleaning and work not so necessary, but the culture still remained the same. And i think women especially, who were made to feel their contribution less worthy than mens (especially if they were sahm) continued this judging and perpetuating of the improtance, and difficulty of cleaning. Cleaning and making work for themselves just to fill the time and feel like they were contributing. Almost justifying their existence thru it.

I grew up in family where my nan and auntie cleaned their ovens and cupboards out daily. I felt so sad for them. My sister is similar. My dad would like my mum and me to be - but it's womens work so he wouldn't do it. He just moans about it.

People don't iron baby gros? I think that was one of the things I really enjoyed ironing when mine were babies - all their little things - I also loved that first wash of baby stuff out on the drying line. Clearly I am a weirdo. I am also feeling sad for the generation of babies and children that have never felt the pleasure of a freshly ironed vest and pants next to their skin. Yes, I am definitely a weirdo. I also love the feel of a brand new pair of socks and DH does iron towels.

I can understand that people wouldn't choose to buy shirts like the picture I posted if they don't like ironing.

But I happen to like the feel of cotton, linen, silk, cashmere.... (expensive tastes but I wear the clothes for years until they wear out) so I thole ironing

I do have a favourite heavy wool merino knit dress that doesn't need ironing and always looks smart It's nearly 20 years old though so I need to find a substitute for when it wear out.

that doesn't mean it's not a skill that is useful for life and worth teaching

That ironing is a life skill is not in debate. The belief that it is an essential life skill, as was asserted up-thread, is risible.

Natural fibres tend to smell less too. Always a bonus.

Based entirely on my own experience, how the hell do you have time to iron baby things? I have a 3 and a 1 yo and there is no way I had/have time to do their ironing or anyone else's. (They did both have reflux so I was doing 3 loads a day)

I buy "non iron" shirts for the DSs for school - they still need ironing imo though :)

I am also feeling sad for the generation of babies and children that have never felt the pleasure of a freshly ironed vest and pants next to their skin.

Really? That's not a joke?

I almost never iron, our iron is mostly used for hama beads, and dh wears shirt and suit to work. But when we wash things we hang them so the creases drop out. Shirts get hung up on a hangers then they hang the right way.
Dd1 is 9 and currently terrified of anything hot having briefly touched a hot frying pan, so I am having trouble getting her to do basic kitchen stuff. She was attempting to take toast out of the toaster with oven gloves yesterday.
However, she likes to sew, so I feel she may need to learn to use the iron for that.

I had two 13 months apart MrsK and DS1 projectile vomited constantly. I worked full time from 4.5 months with DS1 and DH was also working full time until I was due with No 2 and then he gave up full time work and worked only weekends and I did the opposite one DS2 was 5 months. No family nearby to help. Everything got ironed. When their clothes are that small it's like making pancakes, iron one side then flip it over and do the other - It's worse when their clothes get too big to fit on the ironing board in one go though :)

I'm sure most (all) babies don't give a shit beyond their clothes being dry and temperature appropriate.

I have shirts that I hang properly after washing. They don't look awful. But not great.

not a joke Ruthy I know it's weird, maybe it's because I come from a very poor background where new clothes and freshly laundered clothes were not always available.

I remember seeing that Fairy washing powder advert where the toddler is dressed in beautiful white fresh underwear and I coveted that image until I had my own children.

The power of advertising right!

I do think in general the attitudes to cleaning stem from social indoctrination from around the industrial revolution. People (workers) were made to feel they were lazy ad sinning if they didn't work their fingers to the bone constantly (which was very convenient if you were a mill owner) 'idle hands are the devils playground' etc also to stop the spread of diseases the 'cleanliness next to godliness' idea. Therefore people cleaned and toiled constantly and it became a mark of pride.

This is a very interesting observation.

I have many times sat in silent dismay while other women around me (colleagues, mostly) discuss the comparative size of their 'ironing pile' and how many hours they spent ironing on the previous evening. To not do 'the ironing' seems to be the equivalent of bunking off school - ever so naughty.

I've never once heard a man talk about his ironing pile.

There does seem to be some odd moral accolade attached to toiling over a hot iron, and in my experience it has tended to be a predominantly female badge of honour.

Do you iron when they are present? When in your day did you do it? Ds2 (20mo) up at 6am ds1 (3.8 with asd) up at 7. Every second of the day they are present till 8pm then I cook dinner (dh home at 8 leaves at 7). We eat dinner and at 9 I tidy away dinner things, clean up, prepare lunches, do laundry, at 10 I go to bed. There is no time in my day to iron.

Prettybird people who don'tIiron generally don't wear shirts and don't leave damp things in a heap to dry and then pick them up to wear. I doubt anyone who says they don't iron would wear that shirt like that, not because they would iron it but because they wouldn't own it.

I own an ironing boardand iron and my 8 and 10 year olds know how to iron - so referringback to the OP ' s question of course 12 isn't "too young" for some unfathomable reason, it's the "should" I'd take issue with.

In our house the 8 and 10 year olds lay and light wood fires (in the fireplace, under supervision). I'd say that is about as easy/ difficult to learn as ironing and about as useful - both might be skills you'd never use or use 150 days a year and both can be quickly learnt in adulthood if you didn't learn at 8/10/12.

It's a level 3 or 4 vaguely useful but could eeasilybe picked up later life skill, not level 1 like personal hygene, very basic survival level household management crossing roads, payingbills, getting to the essential places and appointments on time... nor

I do yes Mrs K , but they are teenagers now,. and to be fair DH does the ironing mostly apart from what they do themselves, ironing usually got done at nap times but Ds1 in particular was always very good at playing for half an hour by himself while I watched him and ironed if he was awake. We also were never home that late unless DH was on a late shift in which case he would help and so stuff before he left for work. The hardest point was being pregnant with a young baby, working full time and DH worked more or less constant back shifts so that he could have baby from when I left for work at 7.30am and drop him at the childminder at lunchtime and I'd pick him up on my way home at 5ish. By that time I was pretty exhausted as I didn't drive so had to walk him home and then sort out his dinner and mine and bath and get him him away to bed. He still got his clothes ironed though.

My boys interpret the ironing board as an act of aggression and try to climb it if it's up, even if I'm using it. The iron ds2 thinks is his toy (as is the Hoover and my hairdryer) and pulls at the cord if I am holding it. They both scream and punch me if I try to do anything Whig doesn't involve them. If I fold laundry in their presence they snatch it out of my and and throw it on the floor and slide around on it. I have learnt that chores only get done (and I don't lose my shit) if they are not around. And by 10pm I'm on my knees, so I'll be fucked if I'm getting out the ironing board. I'm sure my nan is spinning in her grave.

Sort of on topic, why the hell do schools have shirts that need ironing? Surely it would make more sense to have something like this: www.uniqlo.com/uk/store/goods/163136 that really doesn't.

That sounds tough Mrs K. Mine were much more compliant and I had a playpen

They'd wake around 6.30, have a 2 hour nap every day and go to bed by 7.30. We were either extremely fortunate or DH is a parenting god. :o

Though DS1 is still overly compliant as a teenager, he is borderline aspergers and it seems that that can mean that as a baby he would be particularly content. Apart from the projectile vomiting he was a very easy baby. Ds2 not so much but I guess we just got him to do what DS1 did...who knows. We had my BIL to stay for a few months a couple of years ago and he couldn't believe that the house is so quiet and calm - he has two teens himself but it always seems to be pandemonium.

albert my boys would look a treat in that :)

I'm not sure what world some posters live in. In most professional jobs, if you turned up looking like a crumpled mess, you'd be given a warning, then quite rightly fired. It gives the wrong impression. Simple as that.