I didn't have enough baskets to sort laundry last weekend. You guessed it; the daughter's home from school! And she brought her entire wardrobe, dirty! I think the only clean clothes she brought home were the pieces she was wearing . Add that to my holiday stresses and my PMS, and there is one unhappy mama in this house.
She'd been home two days when she asked, "Mom, are you, like, going to do laundry anytime soon? I need pants and underwear." This was in the evening on a school night, mind you. I was worn out from dealing with kiddos too wired for learning and too old to believe that "Santa's watching, you'd better behave." Well, I did it anyway: she sorted out the main necessary items, I threw them in the wash, and she made it a few more days.
The day after Christmas I sorted ours and then asked for hers. She gave me a hamper and a large basket, both overflowing with hoodie sweatshirts, sweaters, and tanks and thin tees for layering. Almost everything was to go in the delicate cycle.
The result? Four overflowing baskets for the delicate cycle, not enough Woolite, and one cranky mama off her routine.
She'd been home two days when she asked, "Mom, are you, like, going to do laundry anytime soon? I need pants and underwear." This was in the evening on a school night, mind you. I was worn out from dealing with kiddos too wired for learning and too old to believe that "Santa's watching, you'd better behave." Well, I did it anyway: she sorted out the main necessary items, I threw them in the wash, and she made it a few more days.
The day after Christmas I sorted ours and then asked for hers. She gave me a hamper and a large basket, both overflowing with hoodie sweatshirts, sweaters, and tanks and thin tees for layering. Almost everything was to go in the delicate cycle.
The result? Four overflowing baskets for the delicate cycle, not enough Woolite, and one cranky mama off her routine.
By midmorning the next day I had filled two baskets with clean, and the laundry room still looked like a tornado hit and left the contents of her closet behind. How did she ever manage to last that long without doing laundry on her own?
Last year I stocked up on underwear for the entire family with the goal that any one of us could go at least two weeks without washing clothes. I think I bought her too much!
Last year I stocked up on underwear for the entire family with the goal that any one of us could go at least two weeks without washing clothes. I think I bought her too much!
Daisy, you are so totally wimping out. The girl knows how to do laundry- and if she doesn't march her down and teach her! This is ridiculous. She is home all day and you are out working. Now tell me who should be doing the laundry!!! And BTW- what is the condition of her room? The incentive is working on Rosie and we got another area (almost) cleared out last night!
Posted by: ora | January 08, 2009 at 08:05 AM
Oh, my. I don't do my kids' laundry, and they're still living at home! I think Ora's on to something: she's home, you're not -- she should be doing YOUR laundry. And no, I'm not kidding. She really should. You can tell her we said so.
Posted by: Ilona | January 08, 2009 at 09:25 AM
I have to agree with Ora and Ilona.
It only takes a few minutes to show them how the machines work and it saves years of aggravation for you.
And trust me, if her only choices are to do her own laundry or walk around in dirty clothes, she'll do it.
Posted by: Zayna | January 08, 2009 at 09:59 AM
I'll join the chorus. My daughter has been doing her own laundry since she was 12 and I found folded up clean clothes in the dirty clothes basket because she was too lazy to put them away.
If she asked me now (she's 14) when I was gonna do laundry 'cause she's out of clean clothes I would give her a list of chores as long as her arm and tell her to get her lazy, ungrateful butt working.
Posted by: Katy | January 08, 2009 at 12:31 PM
I have to agree with everyone else, my brother and I started doing our own laundry when he was seven and I was ten. When my brother started doing laundry he had to stand on a chair in order to reach the washing machine. We learned how to take care of and appreciate our clothing and we learned time management. P.S. I was also doing my own ironing by the time I was twelve or thirteen, I hate to iron and it really influenced what I wanted to wear when I was a teenager.
Posted by: Toni | January 08, 2009 at 01:45 PM
I can sympathize. Mine's a frehsman at college. when I moved her into the dorm in September I showed her where the laundry room is, bough her plenty of detergent, and told her she was on her own. I don't think she's done so much as a single load of laundry at school, she's come home so often this semester that she's managed to avoid the dorm laundry room...I won't do her laundry, but she's suckered my sister into doing it for her. Ugh!
Posted by: songbird | January 08, 2009 at 03:20 PM
Works for me! I handed off a batch of family laundry to her yesterday. The odd part of her request is that in the summer, she does her own and asks if I need her help with the rest.
No more wimpy mama! I'm inspired!!
Posted by: Daisy | January 08, 2009 at 07:31 PM
both my girls do their own laundry these days.
in fact, the roo-girl comes in search of OUR laundry when she needs to do hers because i have trained her not to do loads that aren't full!
score one for mom!
Posted by: the planet of janet | January 08, 2009 at 08:24 PM
To Daisy - Okay good...I was a little concerned you might have felt like we were ganging up on you.
Nothing of the sort...just think of us as a chorus of supportive voices.
That's the whole point to this blog, right?
Posted by: Zayna | January 08, 2009 at 08:30 PM
Oh my stars.......we went on vacation to a cold climate and I had no idea we had so many clothes. I started washing on Monday and I'm still at it...no way. I prefer to do all my laundry in one day, wash, dry, fold, put away....but this big pile of stuff... I don't know where in the heck it came from.
Posted by: Jerri Ann | January 08, 2009 at 11:11 PM
No more Mr. Nice Mom! That's it! but first we have to get the Christmas tree down...I was sick of it a week ago, and had no time to take care of it.
Posted by: Daisy | January 09, 2009 at 08:33 PM