My daughter is taking after her dad and I'm not happy

My 13-year-old daughter takes after her father in some truly wonderful ways.

It’s fair to say, they’re both generous to a fault, incredibly funny and hugely entertaining.

But they’re also both masters in the ‘I’ll do this badly so I won’t be asked to do it again’ game.

While I’m used to my husband’s antics in this regard, my daughter‘s foray into the dark side has left me a little shellshocked.

While my husband has been known to leave burn marks in good shirts in an effort to be left off the ironing rota, Rebecca used to beg to take part in the washing and drying routine.

While my husband nearly put his childrens’ lives at risk by neglecting to properly dry the floor after a mopping session, my daughter used relish the Suzy Homemaker role and pleaded to be allowed fill up a sudsy bucket and get to work.

All this changed overnight, however, when she turned thirteen.

Now when I ask her to do something as simple as put on the kettle, she lollygags to such an extent, I’m forced to make a pot myself.

She was recently asked to sweep the kitchen floor which she did, but was more than happy to leave a pile of dirt rotting behind the kitchen bin so she wouldn't be asked again.

While perhaps relatively normal teenage behaviour, I found her most recent stunt ridiculous even for her father’s standards.

Leaving two piles of clean laundry on her bed and requesting she put them away, I left her room fairly certain those piles would remain at the end of the bed until the end of week.

If only.

Imagine my irritation when thirty minutes later I found the same items of clean clothing in the dirty laundry bin apparently ready to go through another spin cycle.

And it wasn’t just a case of lifting them back out.

Oh no.

They had been heaped among so many sodden towels and dirty football socks, they definitely required another trip to the machine.

As astounding as it is to believe, Rebecca actually decided that going without two weeks of clothes and underwear for a few days was preferable to spending five minutes putting them away.

With steam coming out my ears, I did what I do best.

I told on her.

Her father thought it was hilarious and insisted she look after her own washing from from now on.

I’m in agreement and I’m all for him doing her ironing.