Teen’s dirty laundry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD17 has taken to stealing my socks and underwear (gross!) when she runs out. So I kind of compromise and dig out and wash a few pairs of her underwear and socks along with my laundry.

So basically you give in and teach her to not do anything once again! Parenting 101 at it's finest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd wash it.

Big mistake. Kid will learn they don't have to listen or do what that said they would do because you'll cave in. It's not hard. Dump a load in the washer and then the dryer. Kid can do it.

[Anonymous]

My two stepdaughters are the polar opposites with this. They are responsible for their own washing, keeping their rooms clean as well as helping with the house. The 15-year-old does her part and always has clean clothes. The 13-year-old keeps her room “reasonably” clean, does the occasional chore around the house, but is terrible with doing her washing.

Despite having an abundance, she only wears her “favorite’s”, puts them back and wears them again and again and again, including her underwear. She is also lazy when it comes to showering and she doesn’t seem to care at all. Their mum is constantly venting her frustrations at me, yet rarely says anything to her.

That is understandable, as the last time I talked to her about it and suggested she have a shower before we went out, she shrugged her shoulders, then walked into the garage and got in the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD17 has taken to stealing my socks and underwear (gross!) when she runs out. So I kind of compromise and dig out and wash a few pairs of her underwear and socks along with my laundry.

So basically you give in and teach her to not do anything once again! Parenting 101 at it's finest

+100. Kind of compromise? No you're doing it for her. and she's running the show.

[Anonymous]

OP: it’s Thursday and he was rummaging again. I sent a text and said: “ Are you going to do laundry or wear dirty clothes all next week as well?”

Answer: “dirty”

I know he’s being sarcastic but I’m so annoyed at the filth.

[Anonymous]

I'm a part-time teacher, so I am around lots and lots of teenagers. Dirty clothes smell. Unwashed bodies smell. I would recommend against the "natural consequences" route on this one because then you are forcing other people to deal with your stinky kid.

Tell him that he needs to do his laundry once per week (or two weeks, or whenever he usually runs out of clothes). If he runs out of clothes, then you take away his phone until he does his laundry. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My two stepdaughters are the polar opposites with this. They are responsible for their own washing, keeping their rooms clean as well as helping with the house. The 15-year-old does her part and always has clean clothes. The 13-year-old keeps her room “reasonably” clean, does the occasional chore around the house, but is terrible with doing her washing.

Despite having an abundance, she only wears her “favorite’s”, puts them back and wears them again and again and again, including her underwear. She is also lazy when it comes to showering and she doesn’t seem to care at all. Their mum is constantly venting her frustrations at me, yet rarely says anything to her.

That is understandable, as the last time I talked to her about it and suggested she have a shower before we went out, she shrugged her shoulders, then walked into the garage and got in the car.

That’s disgusting and unsanitary to wear dirty underwear over and over and not shower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a part-time teacher, so I am around lots and lots of teenagers. Dirty clothes smell. Unwashed bodies smell. I would recommend against the "natural consequences" route on this one because then you are forcing other people to deal with your stinky kid.

Tell him that he needs to do his laundry once per week (or two weeks, or whenever he usually runs out of clothes). If he runs out of clothes, then you take away his phone until he does his laundry. Problem solved.

+1 I would never send my kid to school in dirty clothes. Ugh!

[Anonymous]

I make my teen do his own laundry so he is able to do it in college (it's not hard to run a washer and dryer, but it can be hard to learn to plan ahead and work around the schedule of everyone else who wants to do laundry).

That said, he is so difficult to buy gifts for I do give him a few "laundry coupons" for birthdays and holidays. It was kind of a joke the first time I did it, but it was literally the only thing he asked for this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd wash it.

No don't do that!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take the laundry basket and dump it all over the lawn

This is the only correct answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd wash it.

No don't do that!!!!

+1. Huge mistake.

[Anonymous]

My son has done his laundry every weekend since he was 8. You need a laundry schedule. Your kid shouldn't be hunting for clean clothes if he had done his laundry that week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a part-time teacher, so I am around lots and lots of teenagers. Dirty clothes smell. Unwashed bodies smell. I would recommend against the "natural consequences" route on this one because then you are forcing other people to deal with your stinky kid.

Tell him that he needs to do his laundry once per week (or two weeks, or whenever he usually runs out of clothes). If he runs out of clothes, then you take away his phone until he does his laundry. Problem solved.

+2 Please teach your kids good hygiene. Once they are in college or out on their own, you do not have to deal with it. But, for now, insist on a basic level of cleanliness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My two stepdaughters are the polar opposites with this. They are responsible for their own washing, keeping their rooms clean as well as helping with the house. The 15-year-old does her part and always has clean clothes. The 13-year-old keeps her room “reasonably” clean, does the occasional chore around the house, but is terrible with doing her washing.

Despite having an abundance, she only wears her “favorite’s”, puts them back and wears them again and again and again, including her underwear. She is also lazy when it comes to showering and she doesn’t seem to care at all. Their mum is constantly venting her frustrations at me, yet rarely says anything to her.

That is understandable, as the last time I talked to her about it and suggested she have a shower before we went out, she shrugged her shoulders, then walked into the garage and got in the car.

That’s disgusting and unsanitary to wear dirty underwear over and over and not shower.

I totally agree,

Hopefully she will change and it’s just part of the rebellious stage she is going through, but maybe not as she is quite lazy. Recently her mother and I talked to her about it and thought we might have gotten through to her. Instead, she did the exact opposite by not showering. She also sits very un-lady like, so it’s obvious when she wears the same underwear.

She had the same reaction when I commented on the way she sits. Not only did she keep looking at her phone she sat in an even more un-lady like way. Maybe its attention seeking, or something like that and we probably need to change our approach. Neither of us are sure what that is, but I also think we need to stop comparing her to her sister. Her mum is constantly doing it and I don’t think it’s helping the situation.