If you work full time, would you do your 17/18 year old's washing and ironing?

[bookworm8500]

As the title says really, do you?

Daughter is 17 (18 in September).

She is doing her A-Levels and has a part time job.

She spends the rest of her time with friends or on her phone (hours and hours in her room on her phone, like so many kids this age I guess).

I work full time.

I find myself resentful standing here for hours doing her ironing whilst she is chilling in her bedroom..

I don't mind washing as it all gets chucked in, but the ironing grates on me

Do you do your almost adult child's ironing?

YABU - of course I do
YANBU - no, I don't!

I do iron all the uniform, and my own work clothes and t shirts - I like looking smart. I wouldn’t iron anything for other people other than the DC’s uniforms

my 14yo changes his own sheets, brings his washing down, puts the clean stuff away, hoovers his own room and empties the dishwasher. That’s enough for me at the moment tbh.

No, not at that age. Washing, yes, because the load is going on anyway. But ironing no.

I am very lucky with my mum, she done all my ironing until I moved out at 25 haha! She’d do my work uniforms for me on a Sunday because she would be ironing my younger sister’s school uniform (big age gap) so she done mine as well.

At that age my kids helped out doing the family laundry. If they washed their jeans they would also chuck in some other darks from the laundry basket too. It was a family chore and we all took responsibility for keeping on top of it. I had 4 kids and a full time job. No way could I have treated them as if they were still primary age. We had the attitude of the family is a team that worked together so everyone had leisure time and helped out to get stuff done.

I'm so jealous of people not ironing at all! I don't understand how? All my shirts need ironing, t-shirts too, jeans etc.
I don't do anything that doesn't need it! What am I missing?

Washing - yes
Ironing - absolutely not.
I try to avoid ironing for myself so certainly wouldn’t be doing it for anyone else. Possibly in a crisis like they had a job interview and were running out of time to iron the shirt, but likely to just remind them earlier to do their shirt so avoid the crisis situation.

In our house everyone is responsible for doing (or choosing not to do) their own ironing if they are secondary school age or older.

But, if it's stuff that has to be ironed for school, I would be cutting an almost at A Levels DC some slack at this point and doing it for them. If it's a top for an evening out, not a chance :)

I wash whatever is in the basket as does everyone else in the house but I don’t iron any for anybody.

You actually separated your own washing from your 13/14 year olds and just did your own??

I did while mine were at school, but not after that. We only have one at home now and no-one seems to wear anything that needs ironing. I’m not be ironing 10 shirts a week anymore, but it didn’t bother me. I’d do it in front of the tv.

I haven't done washing for my 16yo for years unless I need a few extra bits to make up a full load. And I am not in paid employment at all.

Surely its harder work to separate washing - plus who wants to go through knickers etc and put them in different piles!?
Ironing yes, leave it, she wants it ironing, she knows where it is, but washing, no!

Shake stuff out and hang it up when damp.
No, it won't look as crisp as if you'd ironed it, and some materials will look awful, but most everyday things will be fine and you won't notice once you have them on.
(I think it's actually recommended not to iron jeans ...)

No but you're their mother and that is an unpaid role!

I don't have kids, but my Mum stopped doing my laundry when I was about 15, I think. There were a good few loads of mildewed clothes, but I soon cottoned on.

As for ironing, judging by the things people post for sale on vinted, there does seem to be a trend for wearing wrinkled clothing. It's not my style though, I gladly iron.

@bookworm8500 I only iron my smarter shirts. I hang everything after washing and smooth out wrinkles. Shake out jeans and dry on a rack. I will iron DP’s shirts and he will do mine but basically the older I get the less ironing I’m prepared to do. My old Mum didn’t mind ironing but it’s one of my least fave jobs. Whereas she didn’t like washing up but I don’t mind it!

Yes this.

I expected my DCs at that age to do a few bigger jobs around the house, such as lawn mowing or cleaning the bathroom. I made an exception in the lead up to exams .

I virtually never iron anything. My standards must be lower. I wouldn't dream of ironing a pair of jeans or any other casual thing.

I don't consciously separate the washing. Everyone collects dirty washing in their own laundry bin in their bedroom. There is also a laundry bin in the bathroom. I wash whatever is in our laundry bin, the bathroom one, and the smaller kids' one.

I used to empty DS1's as well and do his but frequently his clothes were all over the floor instead of in the bin so I did not wash them. As soon as we got a dryer he would basically opt to do his own washing so that he could have a specific item clean within about 2-3 hours. And that's the pattern we have settled into. It seems to work well for everyone.

Nobody ever irons - the iron gets used for hema beads.

Size haha
when my dd lived at home her knickers were considerably smaller than mine!

I was just responding to the OP - she presumably is also a mother.

This.

I don't even iron my own clothes - but my DC (now 16) have been totally responsible for their own laundry for a couple of years now.

I work full time, disabled single mum here

My DC wash their own bedding and towels, which does the same job in terms of teaching a life skill without the hassle of sorting out clothes/not having enough for a load etc.

They way I see it as a parent your job is to prepare your kids for adulthood gradually.

Getting them to do their own washing is one part of that process.

I guess alternatively they can just leave home in a step change one day and have no preparation for living by themselves whatsoever.

Everyone has their own wash basket here so no need to rifle through other peoples pants.
When you teach kids to do their own washing they tend to take more care because they've been told about what can happen ( shrinking, colour runs, ruining fabric ) they learn how to manage their time and be considerate about when to use the machine because others need it as well.
There's lots of little lessons they benefit from doing this.

No they don't, you're choosing the iron them
Hang up when damp, use the dryer,
Crease release
I probably iron once a month