My 4 year old son want a kitchen for christmas?

Question

All my 4 year old son wants for christmas is a fisher price kitchen. My husband and parents are totally against the idea and think he should only have "boy"toys. My son found a blue one in a christmas catalog and has his heart set on it. I want to just call and order it but I dont want him to get made fun of by his cousins or upset my husband. what should I do?

Answer 1

Buy him the kitchen! This idea that boys can play with only boy toys is crazy. What do you think a little boy who plays with a kitchen would turn out to be? Gay, someone who's made fun of when he's older? No! He's 4, and a little boy who plays kitchen or with baby dolls, might grow up to be a terrific dad.

Answer 2

And what is wrong with getting your son a play kitchen? Tell your husband and parents to back off he is just a child. If you want them to feel better about it then also by your son a toy Rifle so he can cook the pretend Deer, Elk, Bear, Pheasants and other wild game he hunts. It's not like you are buying him the Barbie kitchen or the Strawberry shortcake kitchen. Sounds like your 4 year old has more sophistication than your Parents and Husband. Get him the kitchen NO BIG DEAL.

Answer 3

Oh my word, that is stupid.

Not only is it stupid, it's unbelievably sexist. Why would a toy kitchen be a "girl toy," unless they believe cooking is "woman's work"?

Let your little boy play what he wants to!

Then remind your family that many of the most accomplished chefs in the world are men, not women. Most of them are heterosexual, even.

If it were me, I'd buy the kitchen without telling my husband, put it out on Christmas Eve, and when you all get up and see it in the living room, shrug and tell your husband YOU didn't get it, SANTA did. Then, hopefully, your husband will see how happy your son is about his new kitchen and back off.

BTW, I have two sons and two nephews. They would all think that present would ROCK! Plus, in my son's preschool/daycare, the most popular station, for both genders, is the kitchen station.

Answer 4

Funny I just asked the question if I should by my 4 year old son a doll lol. My son wanted a kitchen last year and I got him one. He would put things in the oven and tell me that he was making cookies. I don't see what the problem is in getting a boy a kitchen matter of fact when I bought the kitchen it had a picture of a boy playing with it on the box. I bet your son will love it and as long as he does it really doesn't what anyone says.

Answer 5

Get it! Remind your rather short sighted family members that ALL the GREAT chefs in the world are ALL MEN and they earn hundreds of thousands a year...think they would care if their sons wanted a toy kitchen? Poor litle guy; by all means, buy it and let ALL your family know they are NOT to tease or make fun of him...one, it's really none of their business, he's your son, and two, he can play in his own room and he can be alone without any criticism which could very well traumatize him. This goes for hubby too.
If your husband forgets and teases him give him nothing to eat but cans of Chef BOY R Dee for a week. Tell the cousins to screw off...but keep them away from him while he is playing.

Answer 6

Get him the kitchen.

Your husband and parents need to do some real self-evaluation. Why are they so paranoid about sex roles that they won't let the kid get an obviously gender-neutral toy?

Even if this were a true girly toy, most people will say go ahead, but in this case you don't have to even address that -- it's neutral!

And even if you want to adhere to the most rigid sex-role stereotyping, remember that almost all restaurant chefs are men, and restaurant kitchens are traditionally very much a male bastion.

Does your husband have some identity/orientation issues of his own? That's the only explanation I can think of for worrying about something like this.

Answer 7

Buy him one. There is no harm with buying him this toy. There are so many great world renowned chefs that are men. Maybe he likes to cook or create or maybe he just saw the commercial where it has more electronic sounds and colors. My son is 7 and he likes cars, trucks, computer games and sports but when he was little he liked the little vaccuum cleaner that made a sound with the lights whirring inside. You can't tell anything about a child by just there preference in toys. He just might like the electronic lights and sounds. If your family loves him they would do anything to just have your little boy happy and smile at christmas time because he got the one toy he wanted. Besides, next year he could want a hot wheels race track, you just never know with kids. Most of the toys they want they see on commercials on t.v. I hope this helps.

Answer 8

Buy him the kitchen. Who says boys/men can't cook? It is so good for boys to learn skills also. If he wants a baby doll, let him have that. He can learn how to be a good daddy. I'll bet if a little girl wanted a truck, none of your relatives would have a problem with that. Cooking doesn't make a boy feminine or gay. Observe kids in any preschool or day care setting, both boys and girls play in the kitchen, play dress-up, play with trucks/cars, etc. These are really non-gender toys.

Answer 9

Get him the kitchen. Who cares if they don't like it. It's not a boy toy. It's a great toy. It will help with him imagining and creative play. There's nothing wrong with that at all. My husband is a Chef and went to school and everything, so who knows, maybe your little guy would like to do that someday. Just cause a man is in the kitchen doesn't mean it's a girl thing at all. BUY THE KITCHEN!!!

Answer 10

My son is a little younger, 2 1/2, but he is getting a kitchen set for Christmas. Boys like to play with that stuff too. When family members ask what to get him for Christmas, I tell him he's getting the kitchen set and can use some play food/utensils to go along with it. No one thinks it's "girly".