Parenting

Dad Shuts Down Haters Who Mocked His Son For Loving His Custom Play Kitchen

by Valerie Williams
Image via Imgur

Hello, it’s 2015. Welcome to the future! We live in a magical time where boys and men can cook and it’s no longer seen as “girly” by anyone with a brain, but apparently, there are a few hold-outs who still see it as women’s work. Enter this awesome dad, who built a gorgeous play kitchen for his son only to have moronic trolls tell him it will make the toddler “gay.” Is this life? Are we sure it’s not 1951?

Reddit user sixstringhook posted an incredible tutorial showing all the steps necessary to turn a crappy, old entertainment center into a stunning, custom play kitchen for a child. I’m jealous and wish someone had built one for my kids when they were younger. Check out his handiwork and get ready to drool.

Image via Imgur

Can we stand how cute this is? Every detail was thought out. The chalkboard for a grocery list, the stainless sink, the perfect, tiny stove — it couldn’t be any more adorable. And when something on the internet is amazing and positive, enter the assholes to have their say. A few backward jerks just had to tell this father that he was turning his son “gay” and even called a toddler a homophobic slur starting with F that I refuse to even type. All because he’s letting his little boy have fun with a play kitchen. Fortunately, Reddit moderators removed all of the abusive comments, but the father’s responses remain:

Well, going off of comments I have received both online, and in person regarding my wife and I’s decision to make our SON a kitchen play-set and several “daughter” comments and “but he is a boy,” let me be perfectly blunt.

Fuck you. Any time we go to our local science center, or to the children’s museum, he always wants to play in the kitchen play-set area. He always wants to watch us cook and likes being involved, so we thought this would be a good idea.

Furthermore, if my kid wanted a Barbie doll I would get it for him. If that is what he wants, then that is what he wants. Its his decision what he wants to play with. Not mine.

Epic mic drop. He said it perfectly. And aren’t most celebrity chefs men? Why is this even a thing? I truly had no idea there were morons in this world that still see cooking as a feminine job. He went on to update the post after it hit the front page, explaining that the abusive comments were gone now and adding:

As far as my comment on if he wants to play with a barbie doll…again, let me stress this. HE IS 2. I have seen him get excited and play with a broom. Ya’ll need to chill. Kids are going to play with what they want, and if you try to prevent them from doing something as harmless as playing with the toy they want to play with, they are going to end up resenting you.

As the mother of a boy who spent his toddlers years painting his nails and trying on his sister’s Disney Princess dress-up outfits, I applaud this father. My son has an older sister and all he wanted to do with play with her, so he played with what she played with. We had a play kitchen too that both kids loved for years. He was just a baby and had no idea what he was doing, but even if he did continue to enjoy those things as he got older, we would’ve encouraged him. As this dad says, ya’ll need to chill. They’re just kids, exploring various things and seeing what they like. It is absolutely harmless to allow them that freedom and can only help them feel more secure as they grow up knowing they have support. This dad is doing it right.

We finally live in a time where most people acknowledge that there’s no such thing as boy and girl toys. They’re just toys. Some have trouble grasping this truth and for that reason, I’m endlessly grateful for fathers like this man who don’t give a single care about what awful people think. He’s honoring what his son likes and providing him with toys to nurture his interests and talents. That is what a good parent does. Bravo to him for standing up to the haters and supporting his child at any cost.