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

[Caligula]

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!!!

well dh does his own ironing but me and dd are definitely neglected

I've come out to work today and left my mum with my two kids and a huge pile of ironing saying "ignore the ironing I'm doing it tonight!! I know full well she will not (it goes against her nature to see a pile of ironing and not do it) and at least three quartetr will be done when I get home (she doesn't like ironing trousers!)

I feel very fortunate coz I hate ironing

I ironed all my babies sleep suits, vests, bedding, towels, muslin squares, etc when I was still preg. Since DS arrived 14 months agoI have never ironed a thing!

Caligula, I actually enjoy the thought of giving busybodies like your mum something to talk about. . .eg "Look at the sorry state of that little boy's clothes!" I feel like I'm contributing something positive to society.

Similarly: dh and I laughed a few years ago when were were on holiday with our best friend James. I was pregnant, and the old biddies on the beach decided that James (whom I see once a year, on holiday) was really the father of my unborn child because we took walks along the beach together, sometimes without dh, who was watching our other child. The 3 of us were happy to have been of service, knowing we helped these ladies fill the vacancy of their hours.

tell your mom that washing your son's white uniform shirt once a half term is a more likely sign of neglect. i knew a poor little lad in yr 7 was like that.

it's waaaaaaay too hot or ironing anyway!

I am a bit of a Bree and slightly anal....I hate unironed clothes. Like psychomum I have 5 (or 6, depending!) children and I lock myself away in the evenings with a bottle of rose and a dvd and ineffectually iron the tip of the iceberg- then I pay someone a small fortune to iron the rest the following day.

But as for unironed clothes being a sign of neglect......nope! I once knew a social worker who judged neglect on whether the mother cooked "a proper sunday dinner'

this thread reminds me that a childminder we employed for a short space of time was very concerned that our ds didn't always have matching socks... she seemed convinced that he was being neglected.

clothes get ironed as needed in this house,and socksare always odd.my thoery is that they are both socks and so technically a pair.
my mil is a big one for the ironing too.

the worst thing she has ever done though was when ds1 was smaller and had been eating chocolate.his face was messy and rather than getting a wipe or a facecloth to clean him, she LICKED it off!!!
i was so taken aback i just sat and watched in open mouthed horror!!!

lol Caligula, when my mum was getting dd dressed the other day she tutted got out the iron and ironed her knickers and socks!!!!!

whats an iron then! never touched one in my life!

The iron rarely comes out in my house, in fact dp wanted it to iron his shirt last night and it was so long since we had used it that we couldn't remember where it was and had to search the kitchen and utility for it.

I agree with other posters that being selective when buying clothes can mean that hardly any need ironing, also hanging them on hangers when damp and allowing to air dry reduces creases no end.

My mum is a bit of an ironing/housework obsessive and I take great pleasure in being a lazy slattern by contrast .

I need to show this thread to my mum.

When I was growing up, all of our clothers had to come out of the tumble drier and be fine for hanging up - no ironing required. Hence, we never had anything that was made from pure cotton/linen until we could iron ourselves.

My mum hated ironing with a vengence. So she never ironed therefore she must have been a bad mother - and she is a social worker

I can't believe people iron underwear and muslins - but rumour has it that some do-eh?

I iron all our clothes. We've got so many that we've now got an industrial ironing press , which is fab. The only problem is that the baskets of ironed clothes sit in the basement
( each child has it's own basket)wating 'til they're full up enough to be taken upstairs. By the time this has happened all the clothes look wrinkled again. I do like ironing, always have done, even as a child, strange. wrinkled clothes as a sign of neglect? Nah.

My MIL would defintiely agree with the bread bit. I gave them croissants for breakfast once, and she looked at them with horror, and then said to FIL, "R, would you like one of these BUNS?". And if you can imagine Edith Evans saying "a handbag?" you have the tone about right.

I only have an iron b/c my mother bought me one. It makes a handy doorstop!

Dry your clothes on hangers. If they're still a bit crinkly, hang them up in the bathroom whilst you shower.

No need to iron! Life's too short!

Only my dh's work shirts get ironed and the odd item of clothing that looks really creased. When the clothes are dry (after being hung on a clothes horse or outside) they are put away and that saves them lying about getting creased in a clothes basket. My sister forever has a basket of ironing waiting for her and will spend hours at a time ironing it. There are better ways to spend your time - like on here!!

I was given grief one day in a pub by a neighbour because my husband had a creased t-shirt - I clearly wasn't a very good wife. Now if this had come from some well attired gentleman I may have paid some attention but Union Jack shorts??? I think his wife was at home cooking the dinner as well unlike me who was spending time with my husband having a few pints of Guinness and talking!

I hate ironing but do actually iron DDs clothes - they're only small so don't take too long - don't ask me why I do it - maybe some of my mums views have rubbed off on me and I am stupidly bothered about outsiders impressions of me as a mother - because clearly well ironed clothes shows I love DD.

we don't iron anything here. Life is too short!!

alexmum..... at your mother, but PMSL too.

beef.....snap with dh's then

I am one of those who does underwear and muslims and pj's tho...BUT, I enjoy ironing tho, so thats my reason.....and it gives me longer with my dvd's and away from roast dinner cooking.

I am sure that some things tho I wouldn't do at all (cos I hate too), that many of you here would think is very important and so think me a slattern in response

dont iron any if ds' clothes and wont iron the 2nd one's either.

someone call the nspcc.
what tripe!

me too

I have never OWNED a muslin, let alone ironed one. Take them into care now!