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Washed uniforms last night and didn't put them in the dryer

139 replies

earlgrey · 04/05/2007 06:38

And dd1 will moan like hell 'cos I haven't got time to freeze them properly.

Any ideas?

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LIZS · 04/05/2007 13:31

SHP I'd like to believe that but eg has had several similar threads before ( new socks being one I'd forgotten about) that you wonder if she can only ask so many times without people becoming jaded when their attempts to offer help which apparently go unheeded

ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands · 04/05/2007 13:37

I am wondering why the kids have only one set of uniform each.. why is this Earlgrey? Does this not make your life unecessarily hard and masochistic? We are not at all well off (that's an understatement) but the kids have plenty of uniform, in order to make mornings lower maintenance!

hatwoman · 04/05/2007 13:42

mine only have on set of uniform. but I'm a tight arse and they go dirty if needs be

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

hatwoman · 04/05/2007 13:42

that'll be one set of uniform

Twinmummyx2 · 04/05/2007 13:44

I have one set too it goes in the dryer a lot..and then dosen't need ironing-works for me.

Twinmummyx2 · 04/05/2007 13:44

but they have lots of school socks

hatwoman · 04/05/2007 13:45

mine all dries over night anyway. and thinking about it it's actually not strictly true they only have one - they could always go in their winter uniform if really necessary

Twinmummyx2 · 04/05/2007 13:47

ok...if we are going to be totally honest, there is some spare stuff in a draw somewhere-but it needs ironing....and i don't iron...so it's staying there until the dryer breaks

ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands · 04/05/2007 14:01

LOL.. I am not judging anyone for only having one set of uniform.. it's just that, seeing Earlgrey's other threads.. and the lengths she goes to to pander to her DDs' demands.. (frozen uniform/warm uniform/freshly-washed-every-day-uniform/brand new socks every day) it seem's that more uniform might be helpful...

Although obviously the demands need addressing primarily.

Twinmummyx2 · 04/05/2007 14:03

lol...i know what ya mean

MrsBadger · 04/05/2007 14:35

just a thought, have you perused the 'how to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk' thread?

sounds like the girls are still running you ragged - I remember the 'unreasonable demands for oven-fresh pain au chocolat' thread

earlgrey · 05/05/2007 07:57

Blimey.

Thanks so much to all of you for your comments. It is real, I know it's wrong, I know I've messed up.

Some people have commented on how dd1 may have special needs. She doesn't, (as far as I know) but it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion that what she does isn't right. There are other things that worry me about her ( shed load of new knickers because she went on a school trip. Some of them were unused and I put the unused ones once in her frozen pile. Cue 'Mummy, have you washed these?) But I'm wary about investigating that path. Normally she's a bright, loving child and would obviously know if someone was monitoring her. And I only want to go there as a last resort. The whole thing makes me SAD, SAD, SAD. It makes her sister sad.

We do have more than one set of uniform, but that's no good, since she recognises it as such.

What normally happens in the mornings is H brings down the girls and they have 20 mins of 'coming round' time, which is essentially 20 mins of watching the TV. I think it's wrong, I think carrying them down is wrong, but part of me thinks they're still so little to be going through wake up-clothes-on-breakfast-on-your-bike.

Have to say though that it's only dd1, so I do have some fairly normalish behaviour to compare it with.

I take all you advice on board (otherwise I wouldn't have asked for it) and thank you so much. I don't know what I've done wrong with dd1.

Monday I start afresh and hope there's a MNer to help me through.

Thanks for all your input and if you've read so far, for caring. xx

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earlgrey · 05/05/2007 08:01

MrsBadger, I did read that thread Cod started with interest, and thought about it a lot.

'My clothes are too hot Mummy'.

'Fine darling, I'll put them in the freezer for you'.

Why has a normal, rational, sane person got herself into this predicament? Sorry, just thoughts out loud.

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earlgrey · 05/05/2007 08:03

BTW, am sitting here head in hands, hoping someone will be on MN on Monday morning talking me through the meltdown. I know it's got to stop.

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speccy · 05/05/2007 08:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gemmiegoatlegs · 05/05/2007 08:10

mn is always here, earlgrey

GythaOggsFrog · 05/05/2007 12:02

Earlgrey, tbh I would start by ditching the television in the morning before school.

We don't get a good enough reception to have tv, but we do watch videos and dvds, and one of our non-negotiable rules is no TV(vids or dvds) on school mornings.

Dd(7) gets up at 7.30. She usually reads a book or comic for 15 mins then she has breakfast.
Then she gets dressed in the clothes we've put out the night before(if we're organised , otherwise it's a matter of unearthing them from her pig-sty of a room (just one of the things we need to make headway on)).

I think you need to decide on a routine/timetable that is acceptable to you, discuss it with your dds (talk about it today, then go over it again with them tomorrow so that you're not springing it on them on Monday (or Tuesday if they have a days holiday)), then implement it.

Stay calm. If they're late they're late. Do not get into a shouting match with them. Just state how things are to be.

Just an thought, but could you involve dd1 in the process of washing/laying out her clothes, or even letting her pick a new set of clothes (depends on how strict her uniform is. We have lots of leeway - as long as its a white top, grey/black skirt/trousers/pinafore and the correct coloured sweatshirt/cardi/jumper).

Try not to dictate, but involve her, give her some responsibility, ask for her help, and look upon it as a challenge for both of you, something that you're in together, rather than it being a battle between you.

At the end of the day if she absolutely won't cooperate, then how about saying "Fine. No problem"

"If you want your uniform washed every night, then fine, no problem, but you're going to have to do it yourself."

"You're going to have to take it off as soon as you get home, wash it, then put it to dry overnight"

"You're going to have to get up early to put it in the freezer"

She should be capable of this at the age of eight.

Sorry for rambling, but have been thinking about this since yesterday after my initial flippant post.

WotNoCrocs · 05/05/2007 12:09

Why don't you have a trial run on Sunday? Get them used to the idea and maybe get them to come up with some ideas of rewards for behaving well on Monday morning.

NoodleStroodle · 05/05/2007 12:10

Isn't it a bank holiday on Monday..?

LIZS · 05/05/2007 12:20

Glad you came back to this thread. Is there any chance that H will back you up if you try to instigate a new regime as of Tuesday ? Seems like they may listen to him more.

WotNoCrocs · 05/05/2007 12:33

Mine are at school on Monday but I get a day off work. It's terribly, terribly sad.

mears · 05/05/2007 12:43

Earlgrey - I really do feel for you over the meltdown situation in the morning - I have 4 children and have had similar screaming matches.

However, I do think there is something here that needs addressed.

It is totally unreasonable to put clothes in a freezer for a child. If your 8 year old DD cannot understand this then there is a problem that needs sorted out.

How did it come about that you tried clothes in the freezer? I am just trying to see how it came about in the first place?

Carrying your children down the stairs in the morning is also wrong.

I haven't read any of yourt posts before but I am sorry, alarm bells are wringing here. It sounds as though your family life is out of control.

You could see your GP and ask to be referred for family counselling - parenting skills. You all need to learn together how to stop this behaviour. Good luck.

PurpleCrocsofCairo · 05/05/2007 13:02

I agree with the idea of a trial run.

It's no fun if you get trapped into a battle of wills - I know from experience.

Breaking the cycle needs a completely new approach, so getting them a little used to the new approach will hopefully help.

earlgrey · 05/05/2007 13:04

Mears, why?

I see carrying them downstairs as a little 'comfort' thing. I know now they're 7 and 8 this should have ended years ago, but do you think it's got anything to do with the frozen clothes? And we're carrying it too far?

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earlgrey · 05/05/2007 13:06

Mears, sorry, it came about because dd1 had a paddy about her uniform one day. Being too hot. (It was at room temperature).

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