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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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Blossomhill · 30/07/2006 22:20

I think it looks scruffy tbh but not sure about neglect

Toothache · 30/07/2006 22:23

OMG TAKE MY KIDS AWAY!!!

Why iron when they are going to Nursery to get MINGING!

I iron if we're going to a party or for a nice day out. Not day to day though. Used to have a Cleaner to do that for me. >sob

Blossomhill · 30/07/2006 22:24

Personally I think it makes the clothes nicer to wear.

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Heathcliffscathy · 30/07/2006 22:25

just on a tangent, if you don't have to wear a suit to work (no one in my house does) wtf do you need an iron???? what kind of clothes are you dressing yourself and your children in???? i'm imaginging velvet and ruffles!

expatinscotland · 30/07/2006 22:26

no doubt, toothy!

i used to be so precious about dd1. but today, she was out playing w/a 6 year old neighbour boy.

she had a little whistle, which of course was covered in her spit.

the boy comes up, pops it right in his mouth, and blows the thing.

she immediately put it back in her mouth.

dh was like, 'that's what they do in school, anyhow.'

guess he's got a point! no point fighting it anymore, she's going to nursery next month to bring all and sundry bugs back to her baby sister.

MrsSpoon · 30/07/2006 23:06

Don't get this not ironing malarky.

Heathcliffscathy · 30/07/2006 23:09

mrsspoon. life is far too short. wash clothes. hang them to dry carefully. put away. wear.

what's not to understand?

MrsSpoon · 30/07/2006 23:13

All this faffing about hanging things in order that they don't need ironing when it is the perfect excuse the hog the telly and demand cups of tea/glasses of wine be brought to me and I really, really don't get clothes that don't need ironed, I love linen and cotton.

MrsSpoon · 30/07/2006 23:14

Not of course that it is a sign of neglect not to iron your child's clothes, that made me LOL!

justamum · 30/07/2006 23:44

I only iron when DH sticks too much in tumble drier and everything comes out in little screwed up balls (on regular basis) ironing usually sits in basket for weeks until takes over spare room and once done sits on our bedroom floor geting creased again as I use things without ever putting them away. Anyone elses house constantly look like a laundry? Also my DH is 6' 4 and built like the proverbial outhouse, his shirts are huge, I will not iron them! I like ironing the kids clothes though 'cos they are small.

Earlybird · 31/07/2006 04:36

I'm with you sophable, as a member of the wash, hang to dry and put away group. It was a huge shock to my system to realise I could no longer get away with that when dd went to reception last September. Her uniform shirts must be ironed to look reasonable....so I finally had to purchase an iron. I thought momentarily of changing schools!

attillathehan · 31/07/2006 09:30

Hoorah! I'm glad I'm not the only sloven here.
My dad used to do all the ironing when I was younger and he used to fold the clothes up into such small piles they looked bloody creased when you wore them! Utterly pointless.

I also used to share a house with a woman who ironed her g-strings!!

LemonTart · 31/07/2006 09:39

sophable - you are spot on. My DH is self employed, I am a SAHM who also freelances (home office) so no shirts (EVER) to iron. Fortunately DD1s school uniform is all non iron style (carefully chosen for easy care ) and so we rarely iron.
Wash, hang to dry, put away... Easy.
Only iron if for a special event such as a wedding/funeral/party.
Life is just too short

nowanearlyNicemum · 31/07/2006 13:12

OMG Caligula - has your mum gone home yet? was she still in one piece???
dp irons his own shirts for weddings/ meetings with clients. other than that I get the iron out once every 6 months or so when I get teh 'urge' to be housewifey. I love the smell of it!!! It's completely pointless though as I'm crap at it - Hence dp ironing his own stuff!!
my mum doesn't criticise but despairs at me. I was recently staying with her for a few days when dd and I came down the stairs having just got dressed - she just happened to have teh iron out at teh time and insisted we took off our clothes and she irone dthem on teh spot. dp found it hilarious to come down and discover dd in her nappy and me in my bra and knickers hovering round the ironing board
my MIL is a maniac ironer - I'm sure she's never got over the fact that the first time dp and I went to stay with her I had to ask her where the water went into her iron. no brownie points there !!

nightowl · 31/07/2006 15:59

oh any excuse to put me down my mum's there. this includes the fact that {shock} i make ds do chores, tidy his own room and generally dont wipe his bum for him anymore (he's 9). as for ironing...nope. my ironing board (one year old, having never owned one before, am 28) is currently being used as some kind of springboard by the cats. it lives next to the dryer and generally just gets in my way. if mum wants to iron pants, socks and tea towels then thats her business!

Original poster
Caligula · 31/07/2006 16:08

My mum would be amazed by the number of replies her idiotic remark has generated and would shake her head over mothers today!

She's gone home now, but I have to go and pick the kids up tomorrow. So will doubtless get a lecture about the clothes I sent for them (never good enough - "dirty" is her word for "I don't like that garment".)

Deep breaths....

OP posts:
nightowl · 31/07/2006 16:15

ha, well i got my own back the other day. mum phoned me up gibbering and apologetic that she had ironed some clothes ds had left there and burnt his sports trousers. to which i gleefully replied that they are not MEANT to be ironed and will melt, they are play trousers.

woodheys · 31/07/2006 16:49

To Mrs Spoon - I love linen and cotton too and really dislike manmade fabrics and guess what - you CAN get away without ironing them. Just wash, shake, hang to dry, fold/put away carefully. just ry it -= you'll kick yourslef for all the hours you've ever wated ironing.

And as for the person who said "it's an excuse to watch TV/have glass of wine" - 1) you could do that anyway without ironing surely? and 2)lucky you, we NEVER get to watch TV, relax with drink as kids are on go all the time, - far too dangerous to iron with them around, and too little free time left to even consider filling it with pointless things like ironing!!)

MrsSpoon · 31/07/2006 22:33

sigh< it's not hours wasted, honest! I'm doing ironing tomorrow morning and quite looking forward to it.

I will however concede that if you have a windy garden then things certainly don't need much ironing, I'll not say no ironing at all .

The thing is I find it very hard to sit down and watch telly these days and ironing keeps me in the one place long enough to watch it. We have two rules about ironing (my DSs are 4 and 7 so not littlies anymore), keep away from the ironing board/iron because it is hot/dangerous and Mummy is in control of the TV viewing .

Rats · 07/08/2006 15:30

Dear Caligula. If you've got time to iron, then you've got too much time! Simple as that. If I had time to send my two out in their crisp starchy whites, then I'd sincerely have to ask myself if my 'housecare' time wouldn't better be spent helping the homeless. So next time she dares parallel an airing cupboard with child-rearing look her in the eye and tell her she's taking a f*king liberty (if we're to continue the Catherine Tate theme!).
Yours, wrinkly, Rats

n5rje · 08/08/2006 19:44

Not sure if this is funny or something we need to worry about for the next generation of boys but I recently bought a T shirt for a 4yo from Tesco - on the inside there's a logo which says "Washing instructions - leave on floor" - what does anyone think ?

ocd · 08/08/2006 19:54

lol
i liek that

niceglasses · 08/08/2006 20:16

I tend to agree really. I mean, its common sense really. If you really really love 'em, then you'd spend hours and hours and hours ironing their clothes. Then you can really call yersel a good mother. Its er, logicial innit? Innit? Eh?

Actually its another advantage of being a much maligned and so called chav. Trackies don't need ironing.

mummy2ashton · 08/08/2006 20:23

lol @ the ops mother! sounds like my mother! she is forever going on about ds's clothes being wrinkly! the thing is, even if i did spend time ironing all his little pairs of jeans and t shirts, they would be wrinkled and covered in grass stains and god knows what else within 10 minutes of him having them on!
rolls eyes alot

expatinscotland · 08/08/2006 20:26

I've got a confession. Our dryer recently broke down - thankfully it's now been repaired - and I ironed a bunch of clothes.

The girls' clothes, our things, even duvet covers .

I found it strangely relaxing . . .