Teenager's washing

[Livedandlearned]

More of a WIBU.

Ds is 17, he loves to wear clothes once and then stick in the wash. I have been washing and ironing 5 shirts every week for him for the last 6 years.

He has now bought more shirts.

WIBU to make him iron his own, as he loves to get them washed as often as possible and I like having weekends that don't involve a massive ironing pile?

You expect him to wear them more than once before washing?

Do you want him to turn into one of those husbands and partners who never do any housework or contribute in any way because mummy always did it for them?

He's 17 - he's more than capable of using a washing machine and an iron. I was doing my own washing at a much younger age than that!

You feel torn at making him do his own??? He's taking you for granted! Have that talk with him. He needs to start doing his own washing/ironing ffs! What happens when he leaves home and doesn't know how? Will you go and pick his washing up and drop it off afterwards?

Uabvu to expect him to do his own ironing.He never asked to be born, so it's down to you to do everything for him until he leaves home and finds another woman to do it for him.

I always did DS's washing as it was easier to make up a loads with mine and DHs washing but I gave up ironing for him at an early stage as he could never be arsed to put it away.

I did make sure he knew the 'rules' of laundry and he has been doing it since he went to university without issue. He knows how to iron but he doesn't often bother.

I know this is an age old complaint but I feel torn about making him doing his own

Huh? What is tearing you? Just teach him how to adult...that is your job.

Yep get him to do his own ironing

It's wonderful now I don't wash for my sons. No more irritation about how much they produce, or whether they leave it lying around etc. They get to make their own decisions on whether things need washing.

Of course he should be doing his own shirts. My DH is great at ironing as his mum made him iron his own stuff from an early age.

My washing machine I do the washing but kids were taught to iron for themselves, even thought I love ironing.

My 10 year old does her own laundry and my 14 year old irons his shirts.
My husband does neither which is why I'm training the kids early.
Tell your son to sort out his own clothes.

DS has been ironing his own clothes as required from 13 or so. If I am doing a pile of ironing and his clothes are in there I will do them, but if he wants things ironing and I am not already doing some he gets the iron out and cracks on himself. Same with washing - if it's in the pile when I'm putting a wash on, it gets done, if not he sticks it on himself. He also washes everyone else's stuff if it makes up a load, I thought this was what most people did.

Well I did feel torn but reading all these has definitely made me see that it the way forward.

A big yy to the posters who pointed out it would make his future wife's life a bit easier if he was self sufficient.

My son's done his own washing since he was 15. Ironing is a bit of an alien concept in this house.

I did the ironing for my family from about the age of 10 - I did get paid per basket though. It's how I earned my sweet money.

I don't have a problem doing everyone's washing because it makes up more sensible loads. And I actually quite like doing laundry (sad I know)

But my 3 ironed their own clothes from 12 (inc my son!)

It’s definitely a lifeskill. You can’t expect him to get it right away though. Show him how to iron and assure him he will get better with practice.
Spend half an hr teaching him how to do the washing- what the care labels mean and the settings on the machine. Make him take responsibility for it himself from then onwards. There will be guides online.

DS is 17.

Nuff said.

If it's easier for you, continue the washing -that way he's not putting on a wash for just one shirt etc.
But you are teaching him a life skill by getting him to do his own ironing. Stop the guilt. It's your job to teach him how to be an independant adult.

High time to wash and iron them himself.

Only do teach him the importance of checking care labels before using a hot iron - you don't want him melting polyester all over the soleplate.

He needs to be doing this himself otherwise he’ll move out one day and still send you his washing home or worse, he’ll meet someone and expect them to do it for him! Teach him to stand on his own two feet.

Please stop babying him, you're setting him up for a future of expecting his girlfriend/partner to do everything for him.

Please do show him how to do it.

When dp moved in with me in his mid thirties he had never lifted a finger.
His mum did everything for him.

My ds is 15 and I am not going to have him end up the same, I am seen as the washing/ironing fairy, enough of the mollycoddling from me and ds has AS and I've used that as an excuse for too long.

Wearing clean clothes every day sounds pretty normal to me. But yes, he can do his own. I didn’t (still don’t) do much ironing, but certainly I did my own washing from probably 11/12.

My kids have been doing laundry since they were ten, ironing a couple of years later.

Eldest DC wears thongs once and throws them in the wash, she’s also in charge of laundry. It’s not exactly hard labour loading the washing machine and hanging clothes out to dry.