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JSchaaf
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| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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I have been struggling for months to help my kids with the habit of picking up their dirty clothes off the floor and putting them in the hamper. The hamper is right there in their bathroom!! All I want is the clothes in the hamper, not on the floor, on the bed, under the bed...
I told them last week that if the clothes weren't in the hamper, I wasn't going to wash them.
No improvement. Today I dug out three cloth laundry bags, labeled them with their names, and handed them to the girls, telling them that they are now responsible for their own laundry. I will be more than happy to guide them through using the washer and dryer, but the responsibility is now theirs.
Too harsh?? I guess I should add that the girls are
9, 8, and 6.
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 2:47pm | IP Logged
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I think I was 9 and my sis was 7 when my mom did essentially the same thing.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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folklaur
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| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 2:52pm | IP Logged
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Welllll.....
I don't think my 6yo could do it w/o my help. Tho I am sure she would love to try!
I think my ds9 could probably do it, but I would have to be prepared for it to be done "not the way I would do it" and I am afraid all his clothes would end up dingy. I dislike dingy whites and don't have the $$$ for new clothes, so....
(I actually don't mind washing, and drying, and even folding clothes. I hate putting them away - i have no idea why. I also HATE doing dishes. But laundry - not so much, I just tell them to bring me their clothes when I am doing it.)
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 2:54pm | IP Logged
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JSchaaf wrote:
I told them last week that if the clothes weren't in the hamper, I wasn't going to wash them.
No improvement.
...
Too harsh?? I guess I should add that the girls are
9, 8, and 6.
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First, I think kids that age are capable of doing their laundry with supervision.
My question: Did you provide training about clothes in the hamper? Was there a period of time where you calmly showed them how to turn clothes, check pockets, and place things in the hamper?
I tend to get annoyed with my kids for no doing tasks I have never trained them to do. However, if you are inclined to train them to do the laundry, I say go for it. 
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Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 10 2008 at 3:00pm | IP Logged
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Quote:
| I actually don't mind washing, and drying, and even folding clothes. I hate putting them away - i have no idea why. I also HATE doing dishes. But laundry - not so much, I just tell them to bring me their clothes when I am doing it |
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Are you my clone?  with all the kids sharing rooms (one girls room, one boys room) I simply haven't been able to figure out how I'd transfer full responsiblity to the ones old enough for it but not the younger ones.. when I would have to go through and sort everything to find the younger kids clothes and then really.. what's the point? I think the rooms is just a thing I need to be consistent on (my bug-a-boo) and get them trained and in the habit of doing it at least once a day.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Anne
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| Posted: Sept 11 2008 at 5:57am | IP Logged
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My dc suffered this same fate. They still have a bit of a problem keeping up with this but it is getting better. I have made a single clothes basket in the hall between their rooms (the central location). The bathroom always seemed to get the clothes dirtier and wet! 
I put one child 9yo in charge of bringing down the basket daily. She is also told to remind siblings to get all dirty clothes out of room first.
Next, the chore of laundry is for my twin dds 9yo. I put all clothes in the washer. It is up to them to do the rest. A funny thing, they fight over who gets to clean out the dryer lent. Seems this is a real thrill.
Anyway, they fold the clothes (not as I would but it is working) and put them on the beds of the owner. I was beginning to have trouble doing this myself since the girls are close in size and I was always forgetting what belonged to whom.
Our system is not perfect but I think you have the right idea. A bag for each child sound like a good start and if they want a specific item cleaned it is now their responsibility.
I for one cannot stand to fold and put away laundry either and with a big family this type of system seems to keep me from fussing soooo much.
BTW I also hate to do dishes. My dd 11yo is now in charge of that chore. I have had much happier chore times since giving them specific responsibilities. Ds 8yo is in charge of garbage in the house and clearing the stairs. I have really enjoyed having the many jobs I dislike delegated out to the dc. Now if I could only get my dh to do our bathroom I'd be all set!!!! 
Blessings,
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Anne in TN
WIFE to Brett (91)
MOM to Rebecca(97), Catherine (99), Grace (99), Stephen (00) & 2 Angels in Heaven.
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Mary G
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| Posted: Sept 11 2008 at 7:54am | IP Logged
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One thing my mom always did was the laundry herself as when they bought the machine, the installer said that he saw many fewer repairs needed when just one or 2 people did all the laundry -- each machine being so different, etc.
So I just have the kids bring the laundry down and then deliver it back to the rooms when it's done -- I'm also working on just doing laundry Tues, Thur and Sat ... which is helping enormously (and those tend to be the days I'm home to run down and do a load).
I do the ironing as soon as things come out -- not many things need ironing except those awful uniform shirts from Seton! You'd think they were 100% cotton with the way they wrinkle just looking at them  !
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PDyer
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My kids each have a basket in their room. They are responsible for bringing the laundry down in the morning and sorting it into the 3-bin laundry sorter. I wash and dry and fold my daughter's clothes. My son folds his own clothes after they are washed. They take their clothes upstairs and put them away. No laundry in sorter, no laundry gets done. I don't have to do laundry every day to keep up, though, and having the kids do their own would create more, smaller loads. I'll wait to teach them to do their own when the clothes are larger and we have to wash more often.
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monique
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| Posted: Sept 11 2008 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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My 11yo pretty much does her own laundry. My 9 yo can help a lot although sometimes I'm not sure I would trust him to completely do his own laundry. I've started working with the 6yo and teaching him how to use the washer and dryer.
I only do laundry on Mon, Wed, and Fri, and my 6yo takes down our sorted bags of laundry every morning and empties them on the laundry room floor. Then they all put away their folded clothes.
My kids often leave their clothes lying around too. They have learned that if they don't get their clothes picked up it doesn't get washed. I usually have the boys pick up their clothes every morning before the 6yo takes the bags down to empty them. If they leave their clothes laying around elsewhere (ex. living room, bathroom) then I have them come pick it up as soon as I discover it and have them put it in the laundry bags. The only problem we usually have is the socks. Those suckers drive me nuts! They take them off where ever and when ever. I find them all over the house. So I try to remind them to put them in the laundry as soon as they take them off.
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lilac hill
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I am sure, depending on your children's own dispositions, they can be capable. DD#3 has always been able to do such tasks early, DD#1 might have had more difficulty.
You have received many great suggestions but I guess the question is, what do YOU want. Especailly at this age, it is up to you to deciade how this all runs. (With an 18, 21 and 14 yo DD's we had a discussion which resulted in a very different laundry system here this summer and it was great. Who knew I would love doing laundry 2 x's a week?)
Do YOU want them to do their own?
Perhaps each could have their own day with one day a week reserved for towels, sheets and kitchen laundry.
Or is it better on the septic/well or water/electric bill for you to have a sorting system so you can do full loads?
Either way it is going to require your vigilance to get them into the routine. Probably daily for at least a month and very regularly after that. Appropriate punishment for failure to comply with your wishes would be the opportunity to sort, switch, fold and carry to the bedrooms.
BTW on a personal note -
This parental vigilance has always been my downfall. When teaching a new routine to my girls I have had to write my part on MY daily routine card
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Viv
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CathinCoffeland
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| Posted: Sept 12 2008 at 2:45pm | IP Logged
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Not harsh just good practice
My older 2 are 7 and 4.5 but they each have their own day.
Dh often helps lug their basket to the laundry room but they have to load/unload (it helps having a front load machine)
I supervise the 4.5 but dd 7is totally capable.
I do have a chart is a page protector hung low showing the procedue too.
They also have to take them out of the dryer and Ill carry them upstairs for them to put away.
both dd and ds can go through 3 outfits a day and i got tired of it. I hoped doing it themselves would reduce changes but no luck .
On a simialar note my 4.5 urolds daily job is to check/empty the lint trap and then wipe the dust off the top of the machine- he love is because it is messy but it is one more thing I never have to do .
I would suggest picking a time/day for them to be done on/by and letting them have at it .
Of course I should note I am one of those people who just shove it all in one load regardless or color and fabric and I am unsure how to iron clothes so as long as its clean I dont care how the kids clothes look 
Maggie
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Red Cardigan
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My girls have been doing their laundry for a few years now. My "age" is ten, but youngest dd wanted to start sooner (and regrets it now!).
Years ago a friend of my parents' found out my mom was still doing our laundry (there were nine of us) and was horrified. Ten year olds, she pointed out, can operate TVs, VCRs, the telephone, etc. (and these days you'd have to add the computer and so on!). So there's no reason they can't grasp the principle of clothes washing.
I think your nine and eight year old can probably do their laundry with little help, once they've learned how; your six year old might need some help with the machine operation. But I think even a six year old can help with most basic folding: tees, skirts, etc. along with underthings and socks; hanging things up might be a problem, though.
The one thing I'd suggest is that you stick to the "no dirty clothes out of the hamper/laundry bag" rule, and set consequences for violation. Maybe set a timer right before bed and give them three minutes to pick up any article of clothing that's been left out, and "charge" any violations against the "extra laundry load" list--if they accrue enough violations, they have to help with a load of towels or sheets, perhaps.
Nowadays, my biggest laundry problem is making sure everyone's done in a timely manner--and the biggest culprit in the "left clean clothes overnight in the dryer" isn't one of the kids, I'm afraid.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Kids and Laundry
