Laundry Confession

I've been drowning in laundry for the last, oh, I really don't know, three years?  Anyway, it has been a long time.  I can't seem to stay caught up.  Until about two weeks ago, laundry and grocery shopping were the things I dreaded most.  Then I became a bad mother, homemaker, stay at home mom. 

There were actually two problems.  Problem One:  Six people's laundry and one person washing, drying, folding and hanging all that laundry.  Problem Two:  Every time I open any of the kids' drawers or closets all I found was a big wadded up mess of clothing.  Nothing was folded or hung, ever!  

Problem Two drives me crazy.  I mean really a bit looney.  I can't stand it.  It didn't matter how many times I re-folded and re-hung it didn't change.  And of course Problem Two gives me absolutely now incentive to actually do the laundry.

So about two weeks ago, I went to Walmart and bought enough laundry baskets to have a couple for doing laundry and one to belong to each child. I still wash and dry everyone's laundry.  However, when the laundry comes out of the dryer I now sort it unfolded directly into the kids' baskets what they do with it after that is their business. 

When I explained this new system to the kids they were horrified.  They all wanted to know if they straighten their drawers and closets how long it would be before I would fold their laundry again.  I explained that no matter what, from this point forward, if they wanted folded laundry they would have to fold it themselves.  I would not be taking the chore back. 

Ruby and Eliza Claire told me they didn't know how to fold laundry.  I assured them I would be happy to teach them anytime they asked.  They haven't.  Ruby wanted to know why I was still folding Daddy's laundry if I wasn't folding hers.  I explained that Daddy went to work everyday for me so I would happily continue to fold his laundry.  Rehm and Charlotte were equally befuddled by this change.

Guess what, two weeks later, my laundry is caught up.  It is easy.  It isn't time consuming.  I don't mind it so much anymore.  All four of my children have a full laundry basket in their room of unfolded laundry.  Once, maybe twice has a child actually folded their laundry and brought me an empty laundry basket.  Part of me still feels like a horrible mother.  The other part realizes their clothes are no more wrinkled when they leave the house now than they were when I was wasting my time folding their laundry.  I delude myself into believing that eventually the will not want to wear wrinkled clothing and will learn the art of actually folding their clothing.  I pray this actually happens because another part of me lays awake at night thinking I have scarred them for life and they will be disheveled slobs from this point forward and it will all be my fault!

Jenn