Comments on: “The machine was called an Ironrite”

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:32:58 +0000

@The Other Clark: I double-dog dare you to post that over on Times and Seasons or FMH!

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:59:09 +0000

My grandmother had an Ironrite, and she passed it on to my mother when her children left home, so I grew up with one in the 1980s and ’90s. It had a nice hardwood cabinet, so it looked like a sideboard when closed. And it did a much better job, much more easily, than a flat iron.

As to the generation gap, it’s interesting how my grandmothers ironed sheets and underwear, my mom ironed only shirts and tablecloths, and my wife won’t iron anything.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:58:16 +0000

I used to enjoy using our Ironrite in the 50′s and 60′s, and don’t remember getting a pinch or a burn. My mother taught her children to use it when we were about seven or eight, and had us even iron bedsheets and pillow cases. We got so that we could do a long-sleeved shirt in a few moments. Getting into bed between smooth, newly ironed sheets felt great.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:15:13 +0000

I'm glad several of you have mentioned having no problem with the illustration -- don't I keep saying that Keepa'ninnies are the best and brightest? -- but other people *have* misunderstood and found fault with the illustration. IIRC, this post was drafted while the 2006 talk was under discussion here, beginning with comment #4 -- and that isn't the first time I've read commentary faulting Elder Christofferson's father for not simply ironing his own shirts.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:59:47 +0000

I used to have a deal with my wife. She wouldn’t bother me about watching Monday Night Football (it came on at 9:00 here, after the children were in bed), if I would spend the time ironing my shirts.

As to pinching fingers with a mangle–that’s nothing compared to the burns!

By: Stew

Stew — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:23:18 +0000

I agree with Matt. I was 21 when that story was shared and what I took away was that men are willing to sacrifice for their wives and children. This example resonated with me and made me want to be that type of husband when I got married.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:19:59 +0000

I’m with #11 re: Elder C’s talk: I understood father had sacrificed for something that mother had appreciated. In that willingness to sacrifice was the man.

As for mangles — they are still in use in professional laundries. My daughters have both operated the mangle at BYU laundry during their time working there (though they had to tell me what a mangle was…and I still didn’t connect it to the Ironrite story…)

My mother ironed my father’s shirts and folded them neatly for his dresser drawer and suitcase (he travelled quite a bit for his work). Early in our marriage it became clear if I was going to have ironed shirts, I would do it myself. Over time, we’ve moved to taking the shirts to the cleaners.

By: Frank Pellett

Frank Pellett — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:08:10 +0000

All I can think of are the numerous pinched fingers. I suppose its at least better than having to negotiate a hot piece of metal in a fire.

Who decided on the name “mangle” anyway? Couldn’t they have picked a name that didn’t sound like it was going to hurt to use?

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:58:42 +0000

I can’t see teenage boys/20-something young men getting hung up on the women-work vs. men-work aspect of Elder Christofferson’s example. Overall I thought that the point of the story was well-taken: his father was willing to sacrifice months of lunches to provide a service for his wife. At least he didn’t ask her to make his lunch on top of all the ironing!

I also remember my grandmother ironing all of her sheets, tablecloths, napkins, etc. Amazing to think about in retrospect.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:29:34 +0000

kevinf, my first ironing chores were pillowcases, and my father’s handkerchiefs. It was a real promotion when I progressed to my brothers’ school shirts, or at least the pockets, plackets and collars (my mother continued to do the sleeves and fronts/backs for a long time after I started learning). Different fabrics, different tools, different expectations — a different world.