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Original poster

Not ironing your child's clothes is a sign of neglect

160 replies

Caligula · 27/07/2006 07:42

Give me strength. My mother is here. The title is just one of her gems of wisdom. I've ended up having a "discussion" with her which basically consisted of her going through all the people she knows - au-pairs, nannies, childminders, neighbours, Auntie Bridget, Auntie Kathleen, Cousin Annie, Mrs Clark up the road, Mrs Lewis down the road, etc. etc. who all say you can tell a child is neglected by the wrinkles in their clothes, while I was reduced to saying "yeah but am I bovvered though?" "look at my face, does it look bovvered?" through this catalogue of gurus who believe that ironing = good childcare.

Roll on later on, when I'm driving her home!!!

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CurtainTwitcher · 27/07/2006 07:44

pmsl cligula..dont you just love parents.

CurtainTwitcher · 27/07/2006 07:45

caligula even

NotQuiteCockney · 27/07/2006 07:46

OMG, how annoying.

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spangles · 27/07/2006 07:47

You had better ring social services now and get my s children taken into care... they are always "neglected"

trinityrhino · 27/07/2006 07:47

well, I must neglect my kids, my dh amd myself then

the only person that uses my iron is my mate that stays over and irons his work shirt of a morning

spangles · 27/07/2006 07:49

Ooops I mean 3 children not s children... I have just been dragged form my bed by a noisy 2 yr old and my brain is not functioning properly yet

charliecat · 27/07/2006 07:50

My mother thinks the same, and when her dearest grandaughters started going to school in unironed clothes she took it upon herself to iron all the kids clothes

spangles · 27/07/2006 07:50

Try and get yr mum to doall yr ironing then the kids arnt put on the "at risk register"

airy · 27/07/2006 08:07

Well I'm done for then, my iron hasn't seen the light of day for months

hunkermunker · 27/07/2006 08:10

Based solely on the thread title...my response to that is:

"Oh, fuck off!"

munz · 27/07/2006 08:16

god mine's neglected then at 5 months! ring SS now! lol.

mousiemousie · 27/07/2006 08:18

I hate seeing unironed clothes but as for a sign of neglect...that's a new one!

Original poster
Caligula · 27/07/2006 08:19

hm - deep breathing, that is my initial response. But I restrain myself...

God knows how. I now know why one of my greatest skills in rl is diplomacy. I've had fucking years of practice in the company of a lunatic mother whom I've had to train myself to somehow ignore.

Another sure sign of neglect, btw, just so you can all make a note of it, is not to have any bread in the house. Pitta bread, bread roles and tortillas for breakfast, are not a suitable substitute for proper, square toast. A mother who doesn't bother to check that she has a loaf of bread in the house, is slovenly and wanting.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

OP posts:
Original poster
Caligula · 27/07/2006 08:20

Oh and not having cornflakes and rice crispies available, is also a sign of hopeless parenting. Weetabix alone is an inadequate choice.

OP posts:
mousiemousie · 27/07/2006 08:21

What adjectives describe your mum's comments?

A mother who persistently undermines her child is the worst mother of all?

MaryP0p1 · 27/07/2006 08:22

Are we related, she sounds like my MIL!

alligator · 27/07/2006 08:23

PMSL My mum despairs over my nonironing but her solution is to buy dd clothes that dont need ironing particularly.

Have you suggested that 1. surely the time taken to iron their clothes is time when you are neglecting them and 2 Ironing is bloodly dangerous to do with kids around (might have been ok to do BACK in HER day but now you might have ss round if you yield an iron near the kiddies )

Chandra · 27/07/2006 08:25

I think I have all my family (included myself) neglected.... Actually, I try to avoid buying clothes that need to be ironed to perfection...

As for the pitta breads and tortillas.... funny that you mention, not a sign of neglect but my mother avoided them wherever she could (and you know where I'm from ) as they were more "fattening", obviously because instead of a single piece of bread we ended having 2 or more tortillas (yummy!)

Original poster
Caligula · 27/07/2006 08:27

mousiemousie don't even go there.

OP posts:
winnie · 27/07/2006 08:41

the world is (scarily) made up of people with such opinions... just be thankful Caligula that you haven't inherited her views

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 27/07/2006 08:43

try my dh's line on her - he says ironing is a modern excess that wastes energy and is bad for the environment. Whilst he bows to society for his work shirts I actually get told off if his t-shirts get ironed.

Jimjams2 · 27/07/2006 08:44

ha ha I knew this was going to be a comment from someone's mother (whispers- I suspect my MIL believes it though )

Blackduck · 27/07/2006 08:44

Well call out the NSPCC to my ds then cos ironing is something that rarely happens in this house! Having said that I have seen my mother iron bras and knickers FGS!

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 27/07/2006 08:46

my mum has realised that when's she's here the iron is out of bounds and she'll have to settle for smoothing and flattening the kid's clothes on the kitchen table. I did once tell her off for doing even that but realised the wrinkles were clearly causing her considerable distress so this seems to be the compromise we've reached.

Kittypickle · 27/07/2006 08:47

Luckily I have inherited my mother's neglectful genes on the ironing front, so that is one comment I am spared !

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