For three years, I fought the same battle every weekend. My 16-year-old son Jake would pile his dirty clothes in his room until he literally had nothing clean to wear.
Then he'd dump everything on me at the last minute, expecting me to handle it.
I tried everything. Threatening to take away his phone. Bribing him with money. Setting up schedules he'd ignore. Nothing worked.
The kid who could master complicated video games suddenly became helpless when faced with a washing machine.
Then I realized the real problem.
Laundry was actually complicated and intimidating for him.
Think about it from a teenager's perspective.
You're staring at multiple bottles of different chemicals - detergent, fabric softener, bleach, stain remover.
How much of each do you use?
What happens if you mix them wrong?
What if you ruin something expensive?
Plus, those heavy detergent jugs are awkward to carry and pour without spilling.
Jake had actually made a sticky mess in our laundry room twice, and I could see he was genuinely nervous about doing it again.