Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it till they left for college...just for efficiency. I hated to run mulitple small loads. I do not think laundry is something you really need much practice with. They had plenty of other responsibilities.

Yes, thank you!

I’m still doing my HS senior’s laundry, primarily because he’d run it for one pair of his favorite shorts.

But I often see in the college/university forum that this is some measure of independence/maturity and kids must “know” how to do laundry before going to college. I was doing my family’s laundry at 12. Didn’t make me ready for adulthood.

They’ll figure it out.

+1. I did my son's laundry until he left for college in August. Gave him a quick tutorial before he went. We've seen him once since he left and it looked like he had clean clothes on!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do all of our laundry together just to save on water and electricity use.

Considering how easy it is, I do not see this being a huge hurdle when they go to college. It involves two or three buttons at most.

Exactly. It is not rocket science. Jeez, there are people acting like it is building the pyramids.

Agree. I also do all the laundry together to minimize water and electricity use. I get it through the wash/dry cycles. DH sorts and with DC folds. Each of us puts away our own stuff. I knew how to do all of this before college, even if my mom did most of it. DS will not head off to college oblivious.

Anonymous wrote:I do all of our laundry together just to save on water and electricity use.

Considering how easy it is, I do not see this being a huge hurdle when they go to college. It involves two or three buttons at most.

Exactly. It is not rocket science. Jeez, there are people acting like it is building the pyramids.

I do all of our laundry together just to save on water and electricity use.

Considering how easy it is, I do not see this being a huge hurdle when they go to college. It involves two or three buttons at most.

No, they started doing their own laundry in 3rd grade.

I stopped for all three kids when they were 10-11.

Yes, he's been doing his own (with reminders) since 9 or 10.

I sort it out afterward, but he folds and puts away.

I really didn't want him to be one of those kids I met my first week in the dorms, who had to ask around to learn how to push buttons on a washing machine.

No, two boys; 15 and 20 (in college but distance learning from home). I think they both started doing their own around 13.

Anonymous wrote:Once they leave for college, don’t bother helping unless you don’t mind washing random panties and things girls left behind.

I started to load, then immediately stopped. He can handle it.

Ugh!

Mine have been doing their own laundry since they were 13

Yes mine do theirs.

Besides just knowing how to use washing machines and dryers, figuring out the time management part is important. If they see that they only have two pairs of underwear left, they have to anticipate how to get the laundry done so they don't have to go commando!

I taught 15 y/o DS this summer because I was looking for more chores for him to do. The only advice I would give is that actually doing laundry is easy, but planning to do laundry can be harder. There were many sweltering summer days where DS was sitting around in sweatpants waiting for his laundry to be done because he had run out of shorts. It's good he's figuring this out now and not in college, where he will also have to balance sharing a washer and dryer.