OT-Anyone make their teen do their own laundry?

[MSSANDRA]

Well after DS "forgot" again to get his clothes to the laundry room to be washed, and tossed his freshly folded stack of clean clothes on the couch to sit in the chair they were in, coupled with the fact that today he had 4x the amount of clothes that everone else had because he finds it necessay to wash something he was worn 10 minutes, I have given total care of his clothes to him!!

I know he can handle it , and I know it will cost me more in energy and soap BUT the point is to teach him a lesson. i cringe to think how wrinked he is going to look at church sunday. of course my mom said " poor baby", he can bring them to me but I vetoed that real quick.

How bad is it going to be??????????????

 

[mickeyfan9194]

My kids have been doing their own laundry since they were old enough to reach the dials (about 9 or 10). They are 13 and 15 now. I pay them an allowance to do their clothes, clean their room, vacuum, and pick up after the dog. If they choose not to do any of those things, they not only get docked the allowance, they pay me to do it for them. I'm their mother, not their maid. Hopefully, they will know how to take care of themselves by the time they are ready to leave home.

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

My kids have been doing their own laundry since they were old enough to reach the dials (about 9 or 10). They are 13 and 15 now. I pay them an allowance to do their clothes, clean their room, vacuum, and pick up after the dog. If they choose not to do any of those things, they not only get docked the allowance, they pay me to do it for them. I'm their mother, not their maid. Hopefully, they will know how to take care of themselves by the time they are ready to leave home.

What she said...

 

[jagafen]

I started doin gmy laundry when I was 14....I got my first steady babysitting job, and was buying my own clothes for the first time.....my mom was/is hoirrible with the laundry, and kept ruining them! If he can read the back of the detergent bottle, he can do his laundry!!

 

[eliza61]

Yep, all 3 of my teenage boys do their laundry. If only because I didn't want them marrying some sweet girl expecting them to do all the household chores.

 

[cl1067]

My two older DDs are ages 6 and 11. They are not required to wash their own clothes (neither can reach the bottom of the washer to empty it), but they are both required to put away their own clothing. When I do laundry they each get a basket of their clean laundry and are responsible for putting it away. I start teaching them this when they are about 4. The 6 YO, I still can't look in her drawers most days, but that has more to do with her having an unorganized personality...so I clean out the drawers bout every other month to make me happy.

I think your son is plenty old enough.

 

[jenrein]

My 11 year old has been doing her own since she was 10. She earns her cell phone by doing laundry.

 

[poconoboatniks]

Yup. 13 yr old has been doing her own laundry for the past 2 yrs. I got tired of finishing the laundry and then having her dump all the stuff from her room on me.

 

[disneymom3]

My kids have been doing their own laundry since they were old enough to reach the dials (about 9 or 10). They are 13 and 15 now. I pay them an allowance to do their clothes, clean their room, vacuum, and pick up after the dog. If they choose not to do any of those things, they not only get docked the allowance, they pay me to do it for them. I'm their mother, not their maid. Hopefully, they will know how to take care of themselves by the time they are ready to leave home.

OH! I am loving that idea of paying me to do laundry! I am going to have to steal that. Actually, my response is basically--stinks being naked, huh? DD has never gotten quite that far, but she has had to wear dirty clothes before. She has been doing her own laundry for a couple of years and my boys are learning at 5 and 7. They sort their own clothes and load the washer. DD is too cute--she is very small for her age and she has to climb on top of the washing machine to reach the detergent. Then she climbs down, puts it in, climbs back up and puts it away. Very cute.

 

[stczt]

The rule in my house is bring the laundry downstairs when I call. You have till I am done washing thatkind color, light, white. Thenyou have to wash your own clothes. My biys have known how since they were 6. they are 12 and 9. Dd still doesnt really know how but she always gets it downstairs when its called for.

 

[drivencrazy]

My kids have been doing their own laundry since they were old enough to reach the dials (about 9 or 10). They are 13 and 15 now. I pay them an allowance to do their clothes, clean their room, vacuum, and pick up after the dog. If they choose not to do any of those things, they not only get docked the allowance, they pay me to do it for them. I'm their mother, not their maid. Hopefully, they will know how to take care of themselves by the time they are ready to leave home.

This is what I need to do... I often talk about it... maybe this weekend I can sit down and chart out what they need to do and if I end up having to do it, they can pay me to do it!!! Sounds like a plan to me!

My 12 and 9 year old have to wash and put away their own clothes... because I got so upset time after time of them just putting their clean clothes back in the dirty clothes... it works out pretty well... they want clean clothes, they have to wash them! They also do the dishes. But there is more that is going to be put on the list!

My 4 and 2 year old have to tell me when their laundry basket if full... Yes I can see that it is getting full, but this way they notice that too! So when they see that it is full they will tell me that their "basket is full, my laundry needs done." And I then wash it and most of the time put it away... they sometimes help me with that part. They put their dirty clothes and blankets in their own baskets which is nice! My 4 yr old also has to empty the bathroom trash once a week, that is his job! The 2 yr old helps a lot! And if she makes a mess with papers or whatever she has to at least try and sweep it up!

They have to keep their toys and rooms picked up as well!

 

[tonilea]

IMO, you are doing him a favor. Lots of kids don't get to learn life lessons like that.

 

[graygables]

11yo & I do laundry, DDs then sort by person, and puts theirs away. I put mine away. DH does his own (this is new for him... ) 8yo helps gather and deliver it to the laundry room.

We do NOT pay our children to do their chores (they do have paying jobs). There are certain things that they simply have to learn to do without expectation of reward to maintain a household. The consequence of not doing laundry is not having clean clothes. By putting all the "girl laundry" together, DDs are also learning that we do for others. Just b/c it's "not mine" doesn't mean it isn't my responsibility to take care of it. We've only run out of clean clothes twice, btw (and I didn't, I made sure I had enough on hand ). 8yo DD will start helping more with the washing once she can reach without leaning on the dryer door.

 

[pigeonmom]

My boys do their own laundry from a basket kept in their room for dirty clothes, and they also do the basket in the bathroom for towels and washcloths. (They are learning to cook and do minor clothing repairs too.)

I learned a helpful hint from a dear friend. The laundry basket in each room is sized just right to hold lothes for one load into washer. Except for very few items, the clothes do not have to be separated to be washed and dried.(whites, colors, etc) Most clothes are colorfast now. Leave the water temp on warm. Other big advantage is that each persons clothes stay grouped together. So much easier that way.

 

[Linda Bell]

\

How bad is it going to be??????????????

If he's anything like my sons you can expect one load of very dingy grey undershirts because he is in a hurry and throws everything in one load, one load of bright pink underwear because the red sweatshirt went in by "mistake", and the occassional load that sits in the washer/dryer for several days collecting mold. They eventually got it together.

My boys can iron too.

Linda

 

[Goobergal99]

We still live in an apartment, and my mom and her husband chose not to invest in a washer and dryer So mom and I use ""wash day" as our excuse to go hang out, shop and have dinner while the wash is going at the laundromat.

So no DD doesn't do her own wash and I probably won't make her because to be honest I would be a hypocrite, I was a spoiled and never did my own wash until my pop died (he did everything, the sweet lil retired old man ) and I was 17, had nooooo clue how to do wash and my husband who has been doing his was since he was 10 (family of five (kids that is) ) still teases me about not knowing how to turn the washer on

 

[Girly_Qs]

Yep. My dd's are too young yet (4 and 1!), but my sister and I each began doing our own laundry at age 12. It was my mother's way of heading off the teenage 'try it on and toss it in the hamper' every morning. We were allowed to do it, because it was our problem come wash day. She 'helped' a bit early on (with sorting, etc), but folding (which was/is my most hated task!) was all up to us from the start! We figured it out fast, I know my girls will too!

 

[powellrj]

I don't have my children do their own laundry because I am too cheap and I only like to do full loads. Instead they help out with the family laundry. I will do the sorting and then leave instructions on what is to be done.

I had knee replacement surgery and it was something they had to do because I couldn't bend to put the load into the machine and its just continued from there.

 

[Robmom]

My DD (14) doesn't do her own laundry even though I would loooove for her to do it. I spend all day Saturday or Sunday doing laundry. I fold everything and put them in bags for her to put away, but they just sit in the bags. It drives me crazy. I really have to put my foot down and make her do her own laundry. I joke with her that when she goes away to college, she will call me crying that she has no clue how to wash her clothes. I was washing my own clothes since I was 10.

 

[PA Princess]

We have 4 kids (ages 12, 11, 7, and 2). The kids have always helped in some way with laundry...bringing it up or down, etc.

Last year we added more responsibility to the older two. The oldest now loads and washes, next oldest removes from the washer, places in dryer, and then carries upstairs. I sort the clothing before we bring it down and then I fold it all in the end. Seven year old to brings down laundry. All three older kids and dh each put their own laundry away. I am always shocked to hear that teens have their laundry down for them, but with 4 kids there is just no way I can do it all.