Kathy's Chaos: Dirty Laundry

It is all I can do not to pick up the dirty laundry strewn across the floor of my oldest daughter’s room. But I am standing my ground. I want her to learn that if she doesn’t pick up her dirty laundry and bring it to the laundry room, it will not get clean.

I do all of the laundry in our house. With five people, that’s no small task. I sort, wash, dry, fold and put it away. I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to my husband who does help to fold quite often.

And, occasionally, I make the kids put away their clean laundry. But I am not consistent with assigning this chore. To be honest, I am not consistent with assigning many chores in our house.

The one chore I am sticking to, or at least trying to, doesn’t seem like much to ask. All I want is for each of my three children to pick up their stinky socks, yesterday’s pajamas and various other items of clothing they have already worn and bring them to the laundry room.

Our laundry room is on the second floor of our house so it’s not like I am requiring that they travel from the second floor down to the spooky dark basement or any great distances here. Simply bend down, scoop, walk a few feet down the hallway, open door, deposit into laundry basket, done.

Sounds easy, right? Apparently not for some in my house.

I figured the only way to truly get my point across was to force the issue.

My 10-year old daughter’s one pair of skinny jeans has been lying on her floor for nearly a week now. It is a lesson in self control when I am putting in a load of darks to hold back from running down to her room, collecting them and adding them to the wash.

So far, I have held out and she hasn’t needed them for any special occasion. 

I am expecting that the day will soon come when she does in fact need them to be clean this instant and I can finally pronounce, “SEE! I TOLD YOU!” and “THIS is why I ask you to pick up your laundry!”

My younger two generally listen to my reminders of “I see a lot of dirty clothes lying around in here!” or “I don’t think that’s where your dirty clothes are supposed to go!” or “We don’t have a maid, people, pick up your dirty laundry!”

It’s my oldest though who drives me the most nuts with the laundry issue. She’s the one who in all other aspects is a rule follower. As clean and meticulous she is about her personal appearance, somehow the appearance of her bedroom floor matters very little to her.  

Soon, I know she will need those jeans. I am trying to wait patiently. I am trying to teach a lesson.

Maybe if I close her bedroom door, I will make it.