Oops, I did it again.  If you want faux fur to keep looking like fur then don’t put it in the dryer.  My track record with faux fur is not good.  And my hooded maroon sweater has been the latest faux pas.

The first item I wrecked dried that had faux fur was Huh’s stuffed horse.  The mane was no longer long and flowing, it was a matted mess.  Huh, who was about 10 years old at the time, forgave me.  A few years later I decided to wash some of Yawlin’s stuffed animals.  I completely forgot about the horse mistake and tossed all of the animals into the dryer as soon as the wash cycle was completed.  That was okay to do with all of the stuffed animals except the stuffed orangutan.  I neglected to check the tag on it’s bottom.  The tag says to surface wash and then air dry.  Oops.

Yawlin shrieked when he saw his orangutan. 

His sisters took up the chant, “The monkey has a ‘fro!  The monkey has a ‘fro!”  The orangutan really did look like it had an Afro.  

Yawlin took longer to forgive me than his sister did.  Even now he’ll come up to me occasionally and ask, “Tell me again why you washed him?” 

I personally think the monkey is more cuddly with the ‘fro.

The next faux fur foible was when I washed and dried Hoob’s white sweater–the one with a fur collar.  Hoob actually cried when she saw the sweater because it was a gift from her father and stepmother.  I felt horrible.  I apologized.  I hugged her.  I gently reminded her that with a household of nine, laundry is a huge task that requires help from everyone.  And the help I have requested from the kids is for them to place any laundry items requiring special care aside with a note stating what care is required.  Hoob had forgotten to do that. 

As soon as the other kids learned of Hoob’s sweater, they grabbed the matted horse and the ‘fro monkey and held them up to my face.  “Look at what you do!  Why do you do it?”

The truth is, I don’t know why I have such a hard time remembering not to dry faux fur.  For some reason I just forget.  I forgot again just last week when I washed my hooded maroon sweater.  My new hooded maroon sweater.  The fur around the hood now matches the other faux fur freaks.  I could have kept the sweater hidden, the kids didn’t need to know, but I swallowed my pride and showed them anyway. 

Huh rolled her eyes.

Yawlin laughed and laughed and laughed.  He actually had tears coming out of his eyes he was laughing so hard.

Hoob was alone watching TV when I showed her.  Her eyes got big.  She gasped.  Then I heard, “Did you dry it?  Smoooooth!”

Of course my kids are going to remember my faux fur fiasco; remembering mistakes is what kids do.   But, I hope part of my laundry legacy is that my kids also remember that I did not fear admitting mistakes–and laughing at them–even if I didn’t always learn from them.