I wish I could.

I understand Petra . My DP asks where his shirts jumpers etc are and if I tell him they are clean but not ironed he still just puts them on. Like you if he goes out looking scruffy I think it reflects on me. Stupid I know!

I agree Nonu! DH always polished our DC's shoes every night and left them lined up by the door. You'd think that would have instilled good habits in our DC but no such luck. Our DGC's shoes only get polished when they come here and I say "Ask Grandad to clean your shoes - I bet they've not been done since last time he did them" And they never have been.

I've always liked a man with nice clean shoes. Probably coming from an army family I was used to that!

I always polished my childrens shoes on Sunday evening .
I liked to see them well turned out !

Both DSs do their share of housework including laundry. However, DS2's partner actually likes ironing, so he gets to do the bulk of the cooking. In the other household, DS1 does a lot of ironing, largely because he always has to have a decent shirt. Having been a chef, he loves cooking which is just as well, since DDiL would feed herself on Weetabix if she wasn't properly fed! All the GC look presentable when they leave the house in the morning. I can't say the same for the end of the school day. By the way, who has/had the job of cleaning shoes in your households? In my ex's family, his mother always did it; in my family, it was my Dad's job, though I polished my own for Brownies and Guides. Therefore, in our household there was always a dispute about whether it was a man's or a woman's job.

I should add that my DH is very well looked after but generally other people do his ironing. And he still manages too look a shambles and uncoordinated. He used to look so sexy in a suit . I do miss that. Corduroys and fleeces don't do anything for me.

I am with you Petra my mum wasn't that keen on buying school uniform and every thing was home made. It was often quite strange and quirky. My Dc wore the most meticulous school uniform even when other mums weren't bothering about indoor shoes and out door shoes mine had both feet measured very expensively every term. They had narrow but long feet and everything had to be ordered. I am still paying for my mother's cavalier attitude to shoe sizes in my late sixties.DD1 has my mothers attitude to school uniform .the children look dishevelled as best . I have been struggling this week to get them bathed and hair washed and their teeth cleaning ritual is non existent . They came from their fRench GPS in the summer obviously never having cleaned their teeth for a month

I live on my own so it does not matter if I am untidy but I always put my dirty clothes in the laundry basket

I've changed my mind, petra - who cares whether he leaves his clothes on the floor or not!

I hope I'm not giving a picture of a man who can't look after himself.
I don't think there's anything he can't do. I know what your all thinking, other than the obvious, he can do anything. In 34 years we haven't had to get a trades person in to do anything. Rewiring, gas central heating, new engine in car, welding, the list could go on and on. I'm the one who would be lost.
Oh, and I haven't cooked in 20 years.
My friends are all jealous, because whatever I want done he will put my ideas into practis.

DH once did the washing years ago. We slept in pink sheets until we could afford to replace them!!!
Actually he has occasionally washed his work clothes when they've been really filthy.

Yes, although it's remarkable that widowers are still given a lot more sympathy and help (usually from women) than widows!

They have to look after themselves if they outlive their wives jings

Jingle , too flippin" true !
heyho !
suspect you jest ?

Oh! You have to look after them a bit! The men of our generation were not brought up to be "new men". A bit late to change them now.

ANA

Night , I will say this gently , I love looking after Himself , as he loves looking after me !!
That is how we are , and would not have it any other way !!

Sorry if I wasn't very sympathetic petra. I don't think you're anal, but I worry that any woman should feel a need to look after her husband in this day and age. Don't forget to look after yourself

If someone's opinion of me is affected by whether Mr absent's shirts are laundered to an adequately high standard, my opinion of that someone would plummet. They'd go straight off the Christmas card list!

Thanks, Nonu - although I'm not sure everyone would agree with you!

Petra , ana always takes a balanced viewpoint , we love her for it !
all round !

Than you Ana, you understood what I meant. You probably all think I'm a bit anal, I'm not, honestly.
We go back here to another thread about our upbringing, and mine was pretty dire. I HATED not having perfectly white ironed school shirts, socks, clean bedding. I swore then that I would never happen to me. So as soon as I was old enough I told my Mother not to wash my clothes. Didn't have to tell her not to iron, that never happened anyway.

Nfk

Oh I love GN. You lot make me feel so - normal!

petra it is time he grew up. But while you are being his mummy that is not going to happen. How would you all be fixed if you were ill for a while and he did not know how to do household tasks?

Yes back to plan b then Tegan

They're called sheds/garages...