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?

Lweji- so he wears a crumpled shirt- is that a big deal?

Clearly yes.

"No he didn't. Even if anyone noticed what would happen- would he be thrown out into the street?"

Her was on some kind of scholarship. To get his money he had to play the organ every week. There was a dress code. That's all I know.

But classical musicians are usually expected to wear proper shirts when they perform, and a crumpled one would be noticeable.

londonrach "You be a good mum teaching them" couldn't the father teach them?

I start them with a cold iron at 18 months.

I then gradually increase the temperature of the iron every four months or so until by age 9, they can operate at maximum heat with minimal supervision and knock out a week of shirts in an hour.

It's about matching the developing motor skills with the right iron temperature to get the job done without getting through too much Aloe Vera gel, I've found.

DS's scout group makes a point of saying that the DC (10 upwards) should iron their own scout shirts and not expect a parent to do it for them!

"scout group" - say no more.

Its not about military standards for god sake.

If things need ironing then iron them, or look like a sack of shit. I like people to look non crumpled.

FirstWeTakeManhattan - hilarious!

Between about 10 and 12 here.

People saying they don't iron is pretty irrelevant. It's still a skill kids need to learn.

I don't ride a bike but I still know how to, if I want to.

A 12 year old who has to wear a shirt should be capable of ironing that shirt.

I was definitely doing all the ironing at age 13.

I agree that the skill of working out what does not need ironing is a much-neglected one. :o

Around 10 or whenever they can be trusted to not iron their hand flat. DS can do a pretty good job of a school shirt when he needs to.
I once dated a bloke at uni who tried to iron his shirt while he was wearing it because mummy and daddy had done everything for him at home.
We plan on sending our lot out into the world actually able to run their own house without starving, injuring themselves or blowing anything up

"I once dated a bloke at uni who tried to iron his shirt while he was wearing it because mummy and daddy had done everything for him at home."

I doubt it was his mother's fault- the guy sounds like a fucking idiot. Weird choice in men.

I only iron on special occasions.

I won't be teaching dd. I don't want any chauvinists benefiting. Some man can iron for her.

Ha.

Pearly of course a father could teach them but in this case op is a mum so i replied to her directly. My dh does the ironing in my house as i wasnt taught when younger. Therefore if we had dc he teach them.

My husband is 43 and still hasn't a clue how to iron. If his shirts aren't iron (the the cleaner, I told him from day 1 that I don't do shirts) he takes them to an ironing service.

I think 10 is fine to learn

I've found my people!
27 don't own an iron and have nothing that needs ironing. They are as outdated as the mangle 😂

Pearly he was a brainless knob in many ways and I did blame both of his parents..
Realising you're dating a person who is too dim to realise he should really take a shirt off to iron it in order to avoid burning himself isn't exactly a turn on!
And my taste in men improved dramatically after that

I have perfected the art of getting shit straight of of the dryer, and straight into hangars. Or the body they're meant for. Et voila.

I should also add that my husband can't cook, can barely use the washing machine, has only ever hoovered once in the 17 years I've known him and wouldn't have a clue how to clean a toilet. He also owned only a bowl, plate, spoon and knife when I met him as the only things he ate at home was cereal and toast and he never changed his sheets.

He was brought up with aupairs, cleaners and housekeepers and his mother never made it her business to teach him. Luckily he had the sense to get himself a cleaner as soon as he started work so that he didn't live in total squalor. I've made sure that I'm teaching my son the skills to survive on his own as I would be horrified for him to leave home without even basic survival skills

" can't cook, can barely use the washing machine, has only ever hoovered once in the 17 years I've known him and wouldn't have a clue how to clean a toilet"
" basic survival skills"

Oh please these are hardly basic survival skills, this is pure laziness.
Basic survival skills include building a shelter in the wilderness , or finding water in the desert,

You really think someone has to be shown how to hoover or clean a toilet? Jesus wept.

Pearlylum my shirts are cotton, three pairs of my work trousers are poly cotton (the label has disintegrated and I can't tell what mix) and I have two pairs of lightweight summer trousers that are cotton/viscose and scrumple dreadfully. DS's school shirts and trousers are a poly cotton mix. How do you get the creases out of that lot without ironing?

When they can be trusted to be safe with an iron.

My mum was pregnant and not well with it, when I was 10, so that was in at the deep end with a 1970s pleated school skirt for me. Mind you, I still can't always be trusted to be safe with an iron at 46 :D

I don't buy viscose.

I line dry as much as I can as the wind removes washing creases. Nothing stays in a basket for any length of time during the laundry process. Shirts and trousers are put on hangers as soon as they are brought indoors or out of the washing machine.

Can't believe how many people don't iron! I currently dont but would always iron work clothes.
Cant remember when I started, definitely primary school, about 8?
12 is a good age and I agree with doing it. It's not just about ability to iron (most people can work it out!) but respecting the fact that if you want something ironed you should be able to do it yourself.

I never realised i was born a domestic work genius till i came on MN. I was never ever shown how to iron, cook, clean, use a washing machine etc. All these things are very obvious are they not? When i moved out i just looked at the front of the washer and turned the wheel to 'daily wash' adjusted temperature, put a cup of powder in the drawer and hey presto my clothes got cleaned. Same with ironing, i just plugged it in and laid my clothes flat and run the iron over it.

Adverts pretty much tell you how to do everything as well, so even if no one has ever shown you, you should have spent about 10 years being bombarded with images of people squirting bleach under the rim of a loo, or spraying and wiping work surfaces. Even in the unlikely scenario that you couldn't work it out yourself.