The Trials of Mixing Kids' Laundry: A Parent's Struggle
Trials and Tribulations of Mixing the Kid's Laundry
Trials and Tribulations
Ah, the joys of being a parent. Taking care of my 3 son's laundry is like walking a tightrope - it's both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's an opportunity to show love and care for your child, and you can bask in the glory of providing clean clothes for them to wear. But let's be real, on the other hand, it can be downright frustrating. I mean, why do they always leave their clothes in a messy pile on their floor rather than in the basket? And then, they lump and dump a week’s worth (or longer) of washing in the laundry basket in one go! And don't even get me started on the task of actually washing, organising and folding the laundry properly.
The main struggle when mixing my son's laundry is just the sheer volume of clothes. Boys can go through clothes at lightning speed, especially when they're out there, working, playing sports etc. This means I end up with large loads of laundry more frequently, which sometimes can be overwhelming - especially when they do the dirty clothes lump and dump. And, I can't forget to be careful with the different fabric types and to separate them by appropriate washing temperatures and settings. Also, not to put them in the tumble dryer; e.g., I once shrunk my son’s new and expensive wool jumper – an expensive mishap.
Not forgetting, Stains. Kids can't help but spill and get dirty, which means their clothes are inevitably going to get stained. It's like a never-ending game of Spot the Difference. Trying to get those stubborn stains out is enough to make you want to pull out your hair. And don't even get me started on sorting the laundry…..
To top it all off, the hardest part is trying to figure out which clothes belong to which kid. Good luck with that. It's pure chaos. I often hear exchanges between my boys “Why are you wearing my top”, and “Mum put it in my room”. Or, they bring items back out to me and say “That’s not mine”…
Boxers and socks are the hardest, I have given up on it! I did try to buy different brands for each child, and I knew which son had which brand of socks/pants, but then the older two started buying their own clothing, and the same socks as their younger brother or the same socks as each other, and I just lost track. So now I end up putting most of the socks or boxers in my youngest son’s drawer. And if the boys run out, I tell them to check their brother’s draw. It might not be perfect, but hey - it works for me!
Final thoughts
Mixing my son's laundry is a trial and tribulation. But, there are ways to make it easier. I try to encourage my sons to use the wash basket instead of creating a clothes mountain (2 sons are mostly good at this, but there’s 1 son is can’t help but lump and dump once they realise they’re running out of clothes). There are 6 of us, 7 if you include the middle son’s girlfriend who’s clothes are starting to creep into the laundry, so the washing machine is on at least once every single day.
If I fall behind, then it’s a chaotic nightmare. But, as far as choirs go, I don’t mind doing the laundry, I find it therapeutic, I even consider myself the stain remover queen, but I do have an annoying compulsion to make sure all socks and pants are not inside out!
My sons have attempted to do a wash or two, and they do it sometimes, but I prefer if I do all the laundry, to make sure that only full machine washes are done, I hate it when a wash cycle is on and the machine is not full – it is a waste of energy.