General Chat

I watched the programme about benefits last night where the council had a woman who taught tenants housework and thought what a good idea that was.

We both grew up with mothers who were hoarders and had far more important poses to pull than to do housework so we have never really seen it done.

We muddle by but don't pull together because we have each picked up different ideas of how it should be done. There is no place to learn the proper methods.

I would welcome that woman round. Not for me you understand but to teach him how it should be done, hem hem.

So I am the only one who admits to not knowing what they are up to when it comes to housework am I?

My wife keeps trying to explain the concept of doing it to me, but I have to admit defeat ;-) Some skills just are not in my range of abilities. Even as an engineer I find washing machines and our rubbish Dyson (never buy one again,but that's another story) far too complex to grasp. It is embarrasing but I just have to live with the shame of failure :-D

Yes, and I am Miss World.

Sharron
Worry no more after all haven't you heard of the saying that "housework rots the mind" :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0 :-0

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it :-D :-D :-D :-D

I thought the programme was excellent Sharron. The lady who's house wasn't clean, was keen to learn, yet hadn't the skills.

When I worked in the foster care system, one of my roles was working with families who's children were in care, and I'd take their children to see them, one lady didn't seem able to be able to see the dangers ahead, when taking her children out, one day we were in an indoor play park, and the youngest child, aged 2, went to go to open a door, which led to a road, she saw him try to open the door, but didn't get up to stop him, my job was to see how she reacted, but of course I stepped in when if the children were in any sort of danger. I took the boy away from the door, and took him to his Mum and said to her, didn't you see him near the door, I know she did as I was observing her too, she said she did see him, when I asked why she didn't get up to stop him, she said she didn't know she had to. We sat down and I explained the reason why she should, she then said to me, that's why I like you, you explain things, that's what I need. Now a lot of people would say, dopey woman, she should know what to do, but not everyone does.

If there were more people to step into families lives, to guide people through how to wash clothes, clean the house, make dinners, get up on time, there would be far less children in care, that costs thousands a week, it'd be money saved, and families kept together.

I'd be more than happy to do this job, I looked after peoples children when they were in crisis, but I'd far rather of helped the family and they looked after there own children, after all there is a high percentage of children who go back to there families after they leave care, but if the parents haven't been given the skills to cope, those children will be back in care system again before long.

Sad isn't it :-(

It does annoy me that I can't get to grips with it when I know that there are people who can hardly string a sentence together who can turn a chicken house into a palace and I can turn a kitchen floor into a chicken run in the blink of an eye, and keep it that way!

That woman in the programme was telling the tenant how to go about it, start at the top of the room, and I had never thought of that.

If I want to know how to do something I or how it works then I go and learn. There is nowhere to learn that.

Sharron, although I am no woman of the year when it comes to housekeeping, my Mum was brilliant, she taught me home making skills, and I did lessons called housekeeping at school, sure they don't do that now. I could show people how to housekeep, but don't always do it myself, but I at least know how to, which I can see is a perk.

The programme last night I hope, made people think that not everyone just knows how to keep house.

A suggestion Sharron, give Fred a duster, or invite me for a week :-D

Fred is a better choice :-D

I have had Fred Hoovering.

Because OH and I have not been shown too much of the subject we have each formulated our own ideas. His mother is a heaper and hider and so is he.

I feel that, if you cover a dog turd with diamonds it is still a dog turd. He would cover it with them and leave it there minging and glittering. I would leave it openly steaming quietly until I had collected enough diamonds to take it's place and then remove it.

I watched most of the programme last night and enjoyed it. I thought it was fitting that the lady in charge had also been in care and knew how the young mum with two little girls felt.

I learnt how to do basic cleaning and cooking quite young as my dad died and mum went out to work. We children were three girls and one boy. The girls were expected to do our own washing and my brothers and generally clean the house. My brother had to keep the garden tidy. I was in my teens before I realised that not everyone kept old newspapers under the seat cushions of the armchairs. My mum was a hoarder and I will admit I have to make myself throw out things rather than hanging on to them just in case. My husband was the opposite and threw out things that I later would spend ages looking for.