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?

My mum used to do ALL my washing
And because of that I would wear stuff once and use towels once and my washing basket was always full
My poor bloody mum
I wish she had made me do my own as when I moved in with my partner at 20 he had to show me how to do washing
Literally show me how to use a machine

She was trying to help me and thought she was doing the right thing but it was a terrible shock when I had to start doing my own washing 🙈 and I deffo don't wash towels after every use now that's for sure...

Deffo get him to do his own from
Now on! His future partner will thank you!!!

*he had to show me how to do washing
Literally show me how to use a machine

it was a terrible shock*

It sounds devastating.
I am not surprised it was such a terrible shock.
Learning to use a washing machine must have been traumatic.

I would rather wash the shirts myself as I'm particular about whites staying white. And I just know he'd put in 3 items on a long cycle just when I need to do some myself.

However I will be leaving dried washing on hangers for him to do.

100% agree on teaching him to be independent. My issue is taking a step back as I'm so used to doing it all, I am a martyr I accept that.

When they are throwing their washing in they should be checking if anyone else in the house has washing to be done too. No need for a half full machine to be on.

Perfectly reasonable to get him to iron his own. Perfectly reasonable to teach him how to use the washing machine, but explain when putting in washing we also check if anybody else has anything that needs to go in. Surely everyone doesn't just do there own?

It’s part of your role as a parent to teach him how to do this himself - might go wrong a bit at first but that’s how they learn.

When they are throwing their washing in they should be checking if anyone else in the house has washing to be done too.

So anytime that anyone does a wash they check with other family members?
That would become very irritating. I do 10 loads a week.

In our family not all jobs are shared.
We all contribute, we all have equal work to do, but not every household task needs to be split.

As a PP said you could then get the situation where everyone is washing their own plate.
I do all the laundry.
I never clean out the fridge. I rarely empty the dishwasher, I never mop the kitchen floor. I don't clean the hob. I never wash my car or cut the lawn. I don't take the rubbish out. All this is done by other family members.

This is working as a team.

speakout 10 loads a week! Wow I was talking about the kids not adults. All I meant was they shouldn't just put their own clothes in

The OPs son should be doing his own ironing, if for no other reason so he is capable when going to uni or leaving home.

I never clear the table, load or unload the dishwasher but I do all the cooking , as someone said it's teamwork.

At 17 I made sure my teens knew how to do every domestic task even if they didn't do them all the time. They went to uni at 18 and managed perfectly well. It was noticeable when the came home that washing of clothes was less frequent .

Why are you washing his stuff I suggest those who want to do a quick change as if they are post malone should do their own washing

My son has been doing his own washing and ironing since he was 12

I think it is important to learn every domestic task under the sun but it doesn't mean every family member has to live separate lives. For me a strange idea.

DD is nearly 11 and thanks to a knee injury I wasn't able to do anything in the house for a long time. In this time DD learnt to do the dishes, the rubbish routine and operate the washing machine and dryer. She doesn't do it at the moment but I know I can just ask her and she will.

When DH and I moved in together he "interrupted" my washing routine, resulting in my white underwear coming out grey as he washed his black socks with them. Aehm, no. I do the washing now. I hardly do the dishes or dishwasher and only do the rubbish on weeks he is away.

There is a difference in knowing how to do it, keeping a family routine going and everybody doing their own things. I know which one I prefer.

His future partner will thank you that he is capable enough of doing his own washing and ironing!

My dd is 15 and for years she has been doing her own washing and ironing —and mine sometimes—
Even my 11 year old can iron a tshirt.

"You feel torn" ?

Do you still cut up his meat? Put sugar on his cereal? Spit on a hankie and wipe icecreamoff his cheek?

Let the boy grow up.

Stop being a willing doormat and enabling your DS to be useless.

Maybe if he does dye one of his shirts by accident he will learn something.

I have a DS the same age, he loads his clothes in the machine and starts it off, I do tend to hang them up. As he does this before school and I'm at home when the cycle finishes. If I take them down dry they then get tossed in to a large trunk on wheels that he has for clean clothes. He then does his own ironing.

I know this is an age old complaint but I feel torn about making him doing his own. Goodness knows why though as my dm certainly never washed and ironed my clothes at 17.

Old fashioned view, then, isn’t it? And no, don’t put them on hangars, just stick them on his bed or leave in the basket.

I've washed as all the other whites needed doing, but not ironed. As he's on study leave from this week he can iron as needed. A good time to start actually.

Thanks for everyone's opinions

It's interesting to notice how stuff doesn't need to be washed so often or ironed when they have to do it themselves.

Honesty, getting your teen to do domestic stuff like this is good for him.