I know this may sound weird, but I purchased the Mellissa and Doug wooden kitchen for DS as one of his Christmas gifts. I mentioned this to someone at work, and they kind of implied that no boy will like a kitchen center. I'm reaching out to the Moms that have son's and kitchen centers. Does it really make a difference? My DS loves to help out and do what I do, so I THINK he'll like this and play with it. I never thought that because he's a boy he wouldn't enjoy it as much as a girl would, I figure he's too young to even process something like that. Any opinions?
Re: Kitchen Playset for a Boy?
I have a little girl (though we'll have a little boy too in May), and I don't think a kitchen playset is gendered at all. We bought our daughter a wooden kitchen for her first birthday, and then I bought the same one for my best friend's son for his first birthday. Both kids seem to love it, and play with it all the time. I think all little kids like to imitate their parents, and all little kids (when they get a little bigger) like to help in the "big" kitchen and make messes and whatever. Besides, in our house, it's Dad who does probably 75% of the cooking!
(And this is my own bias, but I personally think a kitchen would be a great toy for a boy even if it WERE gendered. After all, my little girl plays with trucks and dinosaurs too, and my little boy will have dolls and play dress up... I think it's all fair game!)
The IKEA kitchen pans and cooking utensils are awesome and a must for any play kitchen IMO. Their play food is pretty cool, too.
That's unfortunate. What if your DS actually liked the kitchen? SO will be helping put ours together.
I'm thinking the same for our DS. I cannot wait!
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I painted my toes yesterday and he kept grabbing the bottle I left on the end table. He was pointing to my toes then to his and backing up to sit on my lap. I kept telling him no but DH asked why not do them. Um because he won't sit still long enough and I don't want smugged polish on my furniture. Gender stereotype is what? Lol.
This made me think... yesterday my 3 year old DS told me that when he's a grown up he will clean the house like Daddy does. Seriously, it was one of my proudest moments! Don't get me wrong, I certainly do more of the cleaning and cooking, but I'm glad my DH sets the example that it's a man's job too. That's the kind of man I want DS to be.
Yeah in my opinion your coworker is an idiot. Your son is going to love that kitchen.
DS really likes the one at daycare just b/c he can stash things in the cupboards and oven etc.
My DH said the same thing so I got our middle son a tool set and guess what he turned that in to a kitchen. He really wanted the kitchen and enjoys it at school. I say go for it I wish I had.
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I should know better than to get sucked into this type of argument on TB, but here goes. I only used the "alpha male" language because others in this thread described their husbands as such as if this was justification for denying a little boy a play kitchen. My point was that my husband - 10-year Navy veteran, manly man, traditional in many things (but not all) - brought up the idea of a play kitchen for our son.
I don't think traditional, "manly man," "alpha male," or whatever term you want to use-type men are per se bad men to be married to, but YMMV. I think of my husband as somewhat traditional and traditionally masculine, and yet he defies the negative stereotypes of such men in a lot of wonderful ways. He's not more important than me because he's a man; he's important to me because of his values and how he lives them. And he would say the same things about me - a somewhat traditional, feminine, breadwinning woman.
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