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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be irritated that my MIL referred to the vacuum cleaner as....

37 replies

oysterpots · 23/02/2009 10:45

... 'mummy's hoover'?

She was pointing out things for my DS to name round the room and said 'and is that mummy's hoover?'.

Funny thing is, my DH had left it there after he'd cleaned the kitchen.

OP posts:
zipzap · 23/02/2009 16:14

My DS (3 1/2 yrs) is convinced the hoover is his

If he is a very good boy he is allowed the treat of hoovering while mummy (or daddy) watch... a win win situation - long may it continue!

We were watching some kiddie tv the other day and the only thing he wanted when the ads came on was the JML mop, which has gone straight to the top of his birthday wish list... mopping is even more favourite than hoovering and an even more special treat for when he has been really good (quite a lot now he has a little brother that is just learning to eat and throw food off his high chair...)

however DH reckons that we can't buy him a mop for his birthday (I'd get him proper toy presents too!) as it just wouldn't be right.

ChippingIn · 24/02/2009 00:03

Zip Zap - Yes you can, but you need to get him a better one than the little one that comes with the 'cleaning sets' they're rubbish

oysterpots - untangle your knickers , unless she's normally a right cow it was just something to say...sometimes I'll say Mums hoover and sometimes Dads hoover (or screwdriver or whatever), usually depends who has left it in the middle of the room!! It denotes more that it belongs to an adult (rather than the child) than which adult IYSWIM.

Original poster
oysterpots · 24/02/2009 15:01

ChippingIn - it was definitely denoting ownership by me not an adult.

I'm not seriously irritated by it, I find it half funny, but DS is looked after by MIL for a day a fortnight so there is a nagging doubt that this sort of attitude might manifest itself in other ways which he might pick up. MIL has been a housewife for 35 years and is very subservient to FIL - brings him tea and biscuits in bed every morning, once heard FIL yelling 'where are the towels kept?' to MIL. But there we go - no such thing as free childcare.

Luckily me and DH split chores and childcare more or less down the middle (I'm in charge of upstairs cleaning, him downstairs!) so if hoover had been upstairs she might've had a point! But actually, I don't consider it to be mine or his, it's just THE hoover (or 'the bloody hoover' most of the time)

Interesting that there's such divided opinions on this thread though

OP posts:
Original poster
oysterpots · 24/02/2009 15:02

oh and zipzap, I think that's definitely to be encouraged. DS is 18mo and helps empty the dishwasher, hang up washing etc. He seems really taken with it. Long may it continue!

OP posts:
cheshirekitty · 24/02/2009 19:55

Mummys hoover, mummys little job, mummys ironing etc.

I am sure mils do it on purpose.

YANBU. ~But it is probably a generation thing.

Sails · 24/02/2009 20:55

My ds1 used to refer to the hoover as daddys hoover! MIL was shocked!

zipzap · 24/02/2009 23:03

Chipping in - don't worry, he has his eye on a real mop. and the carpet foamer cleaner advert is a real favourite - keeps saying he wants one of those too .

and the real hoover is 'his'. We also had to buy him his own proper dustpan and brush as he loved doing it so much and got upset when I stopped him from using it having swept up a glass that had broken in it as I was worried that there would be small glass splinters in it. So his dustpan and brush gets lots of use, only proviso being it never gets used for broken glass (too much now I have moved to a house with hard tiles down in the kitchen!) or things that are really yukky.

When we were in sainsburys before xmas and near the toy section I tried asking him what he wanted for xmas - he dragged me back to the hoover section and pointed out that he wanted a Dyson AND a Vax wet and dry... I have to try to avoid the real mop section if I am in a hurry as he wants to stop and look and have a go (more so than the toy section...).

Not that I am complaining - oysterpots it is definitely something to be encouraged! He also loves loading the tumble dryer and learnt to use it before DH did - recently they have had a couple of 'discussions' when they were loading it together and have come to me to adjudicate - both times DS has been right and not DH

sorry oysterpots, didn't mean to send your thread off in a different direction!

gonaenodaethat · 24/02/2009 23:09

YABU

If she'd said Daddy's Hoover would you have taken that as a dig? i.e. Daddy does all the housework and Mummy is lazy

I feel sorry for MILs. She is probably completely oblivious that her innocent comment has irritated you so.

ChippingIn · 25/02/2009 21:52

Zipzap - what a cutie. A little fellow I used to know had a thing about lawnmowers, was not at all interested in anything else... completely obsessed and my cousins little one 'wanted' a cleaning set for her first birthday, I was a bit , but bought it as requested and she was thrilled - pretty much ignored everything else and still plays with it all the time. I think it would be rotten not to buy him at least a mop for his birthday... depends what the budget is though as the wet & dry vac would be a blast for him

ChocFudgeCake · 02/03/2009 23:57

You are right not to agree with what she said, but don't be upset about it.
DH had bought new shoes and MIL looked at me and explained me the best way to clean and look after the shoes. When we stay at hers, she always tells ME about what cleaning tasks need to be done, I just say "Sure. Did you get that, honey?" to DH. I don't want my DSs to think that it is women stuff.

Mumcentreplus · 03/03/2009 00:16

she said Mummy's Hoover?...I'm thoughly & disgusted Hoover is a manufactuer the correct term is VACUUM!..I don't hoover DH does that malarky

mumeeee · 03/03/2009 12:42

YABU. It asctually belongs to both of you. So does it actually matter if she says Mummy's hoover.

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