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?

oh, and my dc iron their own hama beads or other artwork.

We shake/smooth and hang clothes to dry properly - apart from a few things such as sports wear, swimming stuff etc, to me it stills need ironed not folded and put away. That's personal choice though. so Green you are still teaching DC the skill of laundry - you just don't happen to include ironing in that.

I don't see anyone saying you shouldn't teach your child to cook because they personally just reheat ready meals.

It isn't the same thing. People who can cook are more likely to eat a healthy diet. Eating ready meals all the time would lead to poor health. Ironing is purely cosmetic.

oh, and my dc iron their own hama beads or other artwork.

Yes, thinking about it, my children used to iron their hama beads!

Life skills include things like being able to read a bus timetable, manage your cash, take money from a cash machine, clean a toilet etc, all things that an adult should be able to do without being "taught" as such, but it's useful to learn them at a younger age in order to foster independence and increase self esteem.

Again, all these things are necessary for health and hygiene. Ironing is purely cosmetic and more akin to teaching your children to apply makeup.

Loads of things would be deemed cosmetic but we still do them as it makes (some of) us feel better and that in turn is good for our mental health.

So another question then, if it's all just cosmetic, do you choose clothes you look nice in or doesn't that matter? do you wear make up? Get your hair cut in a style that suits your face?

I recognise that there is a difference between presenting yourself nicely without including ironing and not giving a toss completely. But suggesting that ironing is purely cosmetic implies that looking nice is not important to you.

So another question then, if it's all just cosmetic, do you choose clothes you look nice in or doesn't that matter? do you wear make up? Get your hair cut in a style that suits your face?

Do you wear makeup? Do you think it is necessary to teach children how to do it?

Do you teach your children that different clothes are appropriate for different situations (beyond warmth/waterproofness)? Or would you happily take your young teenager out to a nice restaurant for a meal dressed in a pair of rumpled jersey shorts and a novelty t-shirt?

I wear make up, it's personal choice. I have boys who haven't shown an interest in make up but if they did or if I had girls who did then I would. To be fair they didn't show an interest in ironing but that is part of our laundry routine so they got taught that as well as how to separate clothes, put a wash on, hang it up etc.

It shouldn't need to be a news alert that different things are important to different people and people run their houses differently. I don't think it's particularly great to be running a tumble drier all the time, especially for my bank balance, that's my choice.

I learned at Brownies so at that age I taught DD.
But at 12 I'd expect him to iron a few bits, not all his uniform. And anything extra and urgent like "I want to wear this shirt to this party".
YANBU. Even tho we iron as little as possible, at least everyone can.

I was taught to iron at about 12 - I went through a stage of not hanging my clothes up properly so my mum refused to do it and made me iron my own clothes.

These days I work in an environment where ironed clothes are certainly the order of the day for men who are expected to wear shirts. I work in a consultancy type job and many of our clients, particularly those from countries where clothing choices are more 'traditional', would find it utterly unacceptable if anyone turned up to present to them with creased shirts. We do have to meet people at short notice so have to turn up to work well presented everyday. If people are paying for our time and expertise then we want them to take us seriously or we don't get their business again. Its probably easier for women than men because there are plenty of professional options for women that don't need ironing but men are still expected to wear a suit in many workplaces. Suits need ironing, shirts need ironing.

My DH's workplace is less formal than mine but he still prefers to have his jeans and tshirts ironed. If I don't get round to doing it then he'll do it himself. And I only do the ironing because that was my choice of chore. I like ironing while watching the TV and I don't like doing some of the things my DH does like washing up, cleaning the oven or cooking the boring midweek meals.

I wear make up, it's personal choice. I have boys who haven't shown an interest in make up but if they did or if I had girls who did then I would. To be fair they didn't show an interest in ironing but that is part of our laundry routine so they got taught that as well as how to separate clothes, put a wash on, hang it up etc.

So you would only teach your children to apply makeup if they showed an interest but they have to learn ironing whether or not they are interested even though that is also purely cosmetic and no more necessary? Do you think that people who don't wear make-up should teach their children how to apply makeup?

I've already answered that mary - it's part of our routine, it's part of wanting them to present themselves properly as we see it. I've haven't taught them how to apply make up but have taught them how to look after their skin and hair beyond the basics of keeping it clean and what clothes are appropriate when. Dh has taught them how to shave properly too. They may choose to do none of those things as adults. We all however teach our children about the things that we think are important, those things may be different from someone else's, it doesn't make them wrong and it doesn't make them not lifeskills either. I believe that mental health and self esteem is as important as eating properly. For some that means teaching their children to not give a shit and be their own person and comfortable in their own skin and for others that's about fitting into society and feeling good about that. for most it's somewhere in the middle, there is no right or wrong here

I notice that I've answered everything you've posed at me but you've chosen to not reply to any of the points or questions I've raised. That's obviously up to you, but it says more about you than me. I'm prepared to understand that others have a point of view, i'm prepared to justify and explain my point of view. All your posts do is try to say that everyone else is wrong and you are right or goad people into an argument.

OneMagnumisneverenough You have been arguing that it ironing is a life skill that needs to be taught alongside things like cooking and cleaning. I am trying to get you to see that because it is purely cosmetic it is more on a par with teaching your child to apply makeup. If the OP asked what age should children should wear make up would agree that children would need to be taught and say it was a necessary life skill.

all these things are necessary for health and hygiene. Ironing is purely cosmetic

Actually, although it's mostly the case in the present in Europe, ironing can have hygiene importance, as if people wash things at 30oC and simply hang the clothes to dry, they may not get rid of, say, threadworm eggs or D&V viruses, for example. We're lucky to live in countries where botfly is not a problem.
For the most part, hair and body washing regularly is mostly cosmetic than for hygiene reasons.
We'd be fine washing our hands and bottoms regularly and only the rest if it was really dirty.
But I digress.
I still find it curious that non-ironers feel the need to tell ironers that they shouldn't iron. Nor teach their children to do it.

No, you deem that it is purely cosmetic, I don't. I deem that it is a life skill as it's part of our laundry routine.

You haven't said whether you teach your laundry routine to your children and at what age unless that was way back in the thread.

You haven't answered whether there are others things you do that I would deem cosmetic or really where you stand on that at all.

Looking after yourself and presenting yourself appropriately I do deem as a lifeskill and it's also part of your mental health.

You wont get me to see that it's just like make-up as that's not what it is to me, in the same way I won't get you to start ironing. Why are you even trying to?

I don't wear a lot of make up and I don't feel the need to wear it all the time but I do like to present myself in a certain light, that includes ironed clothes, DH is the same so we teach our children what we do. For the same reason, I like to drive a clean car and I've taught the DSs how to wash a car. For others that's not important. Some people like a nice garden, I'm not that fussed as long as it's tidy. People like different things.

Not sure putting on make up has anything to do with ironing.

Although both things might be considered 'cosmetic' they really aren't the same.

You could argue that it's ridiculous to expect people in the forces to iron their uniforms and polish their boots, because surely it's cosmetic and ironing your clothes is unnecessary in such a tough busy environment. After all they could be off fighting wars and making life and death decisions any time soon.

Not sure that would go down well on a parade ground somehow.

It's all about how you want to present yourself to the world. If unironed clothes doesn't present a problem for you: it's not required in your work, or it's not something that makes you feel better with your self image, then fair enough, but if it is important to you, then it's sensible to teach your children how to do it.

All my clothes come out of my washer/dryer crumpled, there's no way I'd go out with them looking like that. I'd just feel scruffy and unkempt.

No, you deem that it is purely cosmetic, I don't. I deem that it is a life skill as it's part of our laundry routine.

Of course ironing is purely cosmetic.

You haven't said whether you teach your laundry routine to your children and at what age unless that was way back in the thread.

Cleaning and anything else related to health and hygeine are not cosmetic. My children (teenagers) can use the washing machine.

You haven't answered whether there are others things you do that I would deem cosmetic or really where you stand on that at all.

If you mean make-up then no I haven't taught my children how to use it and I don't consider it to be a necessary life skill that children must be taught just as I don't consider ironing to be a necessary life skill.

Of course ironing is purely cosmetic.
I've already explained that not necessarily and that many things we teach our children as essential are purely cosmetic.
But do ignore it.

Actually, although it's mostly the case in the present in Europe, ironing can have hygiene importance, as if people wash things at 30oC and simply hang the clothes to dry, they may not get rid of, say, threadworm eggs or D&V viruses, for example.

I don't think that anyone on this thread lives in a country where threadworm is an issue though so pretty irrelevant.

I still find it curious that non-ironers feel the need to tell ironers that they shouldn't iron. Nor teach their children to do it.

I haven't told anyone that they shouldn't iron. I just don't think that it is something people should do and by definition that there is an age where children should learn.

Also, washing clothes is mostly cosmetic. Nobody gets ill from stains in their clothes.

Do you usually go out in stained, but otherwise clean clothes?

You think you live in a country where threadworm is not an issue?
www.nhs.uk/conditions/Threadworms/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Or noroviruses? Or their relatives?

Marymary you are being obtuse.

I've explained many many times why I don't believe that ironing is purely cosmetic - you are simply choosing to ignore that. Sticking an emoji after your statement doesn't make it true btw.

You are picking and choosing which things you want to answer. So, do your teenagers just put the stuff in the machine and operate it or do they know how to deal with the clothes afterwards? What do you actually do to make the clothes presentable and have you shown your children how to do that or do you simply wear them crushed?

No I didn't mean just make up, I gave lots of other examples that you have chosen to ignore, you also haven't answered whether you do any of those things not simply whether you have taught them to your children.

Why do you want to convince people who are happy to iron and want to iron and like ironed clothes that they shouldn't do it simply because you deem that it's cosmetic?

In that case why don't you tell everyone that wearing make up is wrong and they shouldn't do it?

You think you live in a country where threadworm is not an issue? grin
www.nhs.uk/conditions/Threadworms/Pages/Introduction.aspx

It isn't an issue to the extent that we need to iron clothes to prevent it.