Why children will always need help from their parents

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Were you dreaming of the time when your laundry load halved? A promised land where no one complained that their favourite top or jeans hadn’t been washed even though they had been unceremoniously banished to the floordrobe? Parents of the world be warned, there might not be much respite from the washing, even when your children have flown the nest. New research by Beko has found that more than a third of adults wished their mum and dad still did their laundry – and many do still take them their dirty clothes. Beko found that people say that having to do their own laundry is the third worst thing about moving out of the family home – behind only cooking and cleaning.

For most mums, the thought of my children moving out is a double edged sword, the attraction of less housework is reduced by the fear of an empty nest. But, it’s clear that a parent’s role doesn’t end when their children move out. From financial advice through to laundry help there are plenty of things we’re still needed for. Let’s face it, we probably all secretly like the fact that we are still needed, right?

Perhaps having some family guidelines around what is and isn’t acceptable could help if you’re greeted with your child arriving on your doorstep with what seems like every outfit they have ever owned.

  1. Ringing in advance is a good way to prevent double booking the washing machine and when you ge there, if your colour load isn’t full, why not see if anyone else in the house has any?
  2. Don’t just ram your clothes into the dirty wash bin! See whether a load is already on, if so wait, if not well put the wash on!
  3. If you do need some help in the laundry department. Please please PLEASE do not wait until you have absolutely no clothes but an out of shape grey ish t-shirt that was once white. Doing it in smaller more manageable sizes will not only help me but more importantly you. Trust us parents!
  4. Perhaps some sort of treat for mum and dad wouldn’t go amiss to chocolates or something along those lines.

There are lots of washing advice labels and we have all known the disappointment suffered when our favorite wool jumper has somehow managed to get in the wrong cycle and is shrunken to the size of a small child’s top. About a quarter of the people Beko asked said they were taking their clothes to their mum and dad because they were worried about ruining them.This might be a convenient excuse but I’m sure it’s part of it – as is your children not having decent facilities for themselves when they’re just starting out in a new home.

Washing clothes is a job that I don’t think many people really enjoy (although 18% believe their parents do, though!). It is just something that always needs doing, like it or not. So, for the time being at least, i’ll be helping with washing. Between you and I, that’s fine with me.

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