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AIBU?

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Original poster

At what age should a child start ironing?

558 replies

Boogers · 13/04/2016 19:13

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?

OP posts:
80sMum · 13/04/2016 22:58

I guess it would be useful for him to learn to iron, if he wants his clothes ironed, and home is the only place to learn it.

I was taught ironing techniques (along with cooking, cleaning, laundering, darning, dressmaking and embroidery) at school!

Can you imagine those being on the school curriculum nowadays?! And annoyingly, they were only taught to girls! Domestic chores were considered our inevitable destiny, so we needed to be equipped with skills for the future!

Personally, I am not keen on ironing and do as little as possible. I think it's been about 3 years since I ironed anything (I was going to a wedding, so I thought I'd better not show up looking too creased!).

Rainbowlou1 · 13/04/2016 23:02

I don't even know if my iron still works...or if it's ever been out of the box??Blush
Lots of fabric conditioner, a good shake and hang and no need to iron!

feelingmiffed · 13/04/2016 23:02

My DS(12) can iron basic easy bits

SanityAssassin · 13/04/2016 23:09

life is way to short for ironing............

picklepie1 · 13/04/2016 23:09

Of course he needs to learn! He can't just grow up and expect a woman to do it for him. Just get him to do his own stuff. Maybe not even all of it (I'm a slow ironer, it take me half an hour to do a few simple tshirts) perhaps just school clothes or his casual stuff. It's not even about teaching him to iron, it's just to get him helping around the house a bit more and having some responsibility X

unimagimative13 · 13/04/2016 23:15

Teach DDs the day before their wedding day so that their MILs cannot frown upon them for all eternity

Nanny0gg · 13/04/2016 23:50

Oh for god's sake!

Taking pride in not being able to iron or being 'above' ironing is just bloody ridiculous.

Yes there are some fabrics that don't require it, but there are still many that do. And there is nothing clever about looking crumpled.

I can iron. My children can iron and my DH can iron. It's more environmentally friendly than tumble drying and fabrics that need ironing are usually nicer to wear than non-iron fabrics ( plus, think of all the chemicals that make a poly-cotton shirt not crease).

And a couple of hours in front of the tv whilst ironing isn't that unpleasant a way to spend time.

butteredmuffin · 13/04/2016 23:59

Taking pride in not being able to iron or being 'above' ironing is just bloody ridiculous.

I agree. I hardly ever iron any more because I mostly buy clothes that don't need ironing, but I've been able to do it since I was about 11.

There is one poster in this thread (naming no names) who seems to have a lot to say on this subject and take real offence at the idea of anyone needing to know how to iron. It's bizarre!

honeyroar · 14/04/2016 00:07

I agree too. I am a self confessed slob by mumsnet standards. I try to iron as little as possible, but I do think that smart/work clothes look better ironed than dried flat. And sometimes I iron my husbands shirts, sometimes he irons mine. DSS was taught to iron about 11, but started doing his own when he needed things at about 13/14. Nowadays, at 18, he cooks, he cleans, he shops, he does washing. I know he will go off to uni capable of surviving! And hopefully he won't be a nightmare lazy husband to someone one day.

butteredmuffin · 14/04/2016 00:16

I'm also wondering whether this is an example of "feminism gone wrong". Don't flame me...

But for previous generations of women, looking after your clothes and making sure your children were nicely turned out for school and keeping a clean and tidy home were seen as a mark of pride and self respect. Going around with creased clothes or having a dirty house would have been considered shameful.

Now I get that many of us have careers now, and frankly, who has time to spend the whole day doing housework? I also think men should do their fair share - my dad and brother and boyfriend all iron their own clothes.

But I don't think that being a modern 21st century woman means you should take pride in actively refusing to do these things. Or if it does, perhaps we've lost our way somewhere.

RainIsAGoodThing · 14/04/2016 00:17

I'm 25 and I still don't iron Grin

SpiritedLondon · 14/04/2016 00:43

There must be a lot of crumpled people walking around..... If you're going to wear a uniform or smart clothes for an office you need to know how to iron. Of course it's a life skill. I would have thought 11 was a good age to start with simple things ( this seems to be the age that mumsnetters let their children play with the paedophiles in the woods and juggle loaded firearms so I reckon ironing a T shirt should be fine)

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 14/04/2016 01:21

I don't iron much but I know how to. I think it's a good balance. My DH irons more than I do.

One of us will equip the DC with ironing skills, then they can decide whether to use them or not.

TheNewStatesman · 14/04/2016 02:48

I don't really iron at all, but it's useful to know how to do it. The odd "special" dress or top in my house does get ironed.

Spirited London: My husband's work shirts just get sent to the laundry. They wash and press them beautifully in a big steaming machine thing. Not worth either of our time to iron them.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/04/2016 05:50

There isn't a lot of crumpled people walking round and a lot of those are wearing unironed clothes.

By the time you get to work or school ironed and unironed clothes will usually look the same. Therefore ironing is not necessary.

curren · 14/04/2016 05:56

I don't iron myself. My clothes don't look crumpled. A few minutes in the tumbler dryer and straight on hangers to dry and they all look ironed.

It's not a skill I would think to teach the kids. No one taught me to iron. I taught myself when I first got my own house. It's not really that hard, but it didn't take my long to figure out it was more hassle than it was worth.

My 12 year can cook and Hoover etc. We have always involved the younger one too. He is five. He loves to hoover. I think kids can get involved at a young age.

Spandexpants007 · 14/04/2016 05:57

12 is the perfect age to start with ironing. Its my role as a parent to equip my kids for adulthood and that includes learning to iron, wash clothes, cook, unload the dishwasher. Mind have regular chores. Saying that we only iron in emergencies.

Spandexpants007 · 14/04/2016 05:59

I think you need to avoid DS turning out like his uncle

merrymouse · 14/04/2016 06:18

I agree with Mrs Koala.

I can use a washing machine because they are designed to be straightforward to use. I can't remember ever not knowing that you should wash whites separately , but that is because I grew up in a family who wash clothes, not because my mum taught me how to do washing. Both my brother and I were taught how to iron shirts at some point, but we didn't iron our own school shirts. Nobody has ever taught me how to clean a toilet.

ManneryTowers · 14/04/2016 06:18

I enjoy ironing. I can watch Netflix in peace whilst I do it! I take pleasure in the near piles of ironed clothes for each person when it's all done. If some people find that odd, so be it. I find it odd people think a shirt that has been hung looks that same as one that has been ironed. It doesn't.

YANBU OP. Start off with easy thInge and then make uniform their responsibility. I would even make the washing of the uniform (I'm guessing there's enough uniform and kit for a full load) and hanging out their responsibility too. I am a mean mum though!

ManneryTowers · 14/04/2016 06:19

*neat not near

MyNewBearTotoro · 14/04/2016 06:35

I'm 30 and still haven't learnt to iron Blush

nooka · 14/04/2016 06:41

My children (15 & 16) can both iron but both only think about doing it once in a blue moon. Pretty much the same as dh and me really. It's not a highly skilled job, more of a demonstrate a couple of times and then leave them to it type exercise, similar to most household chores really. Plus if you don't now how to do something there is always the internet. There are YouTube videos of pretty much anything you need to do in life.

I can see if you have a job/school that requires a shirt and tie type dress code then ironing will be a part of your life, but workplaces have become much more informal and I suspect that most people could get away without regular ironing quite easily.

Why would anyone iron a t-shirt?

BeaufortBelle · 14/04/2016 06:44

When they say "mum I'm going out tonight. And I need x shirt". OK darling I'll show you how.

I very rarely iron but have an overflowing basket every week and a very nice lady who comes and irons it. DS has managed at uni, he has even got a shirt to the dc's -or a girl to iron it Shockif it's been essential.

Andrewofgg · 14/04/2016 06:44

I was ten. My DM bought a second ironing board and iron and we used to share the work so that it was a chat as well as a chore.