Boy Toddler Criticized For Kitchen Playset: 2-Year-Old Has Haters For Playing With ‘Girl’s Toy’


A boy toddler was criticized for enjoying a kitchen playset that his parents made for him. The child’s father — Andrew Hook — stood up to haters and let people know that there’s nothing wrong with his 2-year-old son for playing with a kitchen playset. Critics insulted the toddler, saying that he was into a “girl’s toy.”

ABC News reports that an Iowa father’s reaction to what his son, Owen, chooses to play with has gone viral after internet trolls insulted the boy for receiving a “homemade kitchen playset for his second birthday.”

Hook said that he was upset over what people were saying about his toddler son for having a kitchen playset. He knows he got heated in what he said, but that he wasn’t about to let people bash his child over their stereotypical attitudes. He’s happy about the attention that his defense for Owen is getting, however.

The child’s father and mother, Jessica, decided to build him a kitchen from an old entertainment center for his birthday on October 6. Their son loves to be in the kitchen with them whenever they cook meals, so it seemed like the perfect gift.

Sometimes Owen helps in the kitchen by mixing the muffins.

Hook notes that whenever they got to the science center, there’s a kitchen play area and that’s where the toddler enjoys spending most of his time.

Toddler kitchen playset
A toddler’s kitchen playset began with an entertainment center that his parents used to build the structure.

On his birthday, Hook and his wife gifted Owen with a kitchen playset, which he loved. It came with a chalkboard and a range top that wires up with electric luminescent wire so he can turn on the “burners.”

Hook says that the boy was excited to get the kitchen playset.

“Since he’s only 2, he doesn’t have a huge vocabulary, but he was shouting out and kind of jumping up and down and immediately wanted to start playing with it. It only took four days total [to build]. I did the majority of the power tool work and my wife did most of the painting.”

Critics began launching their attacks after Hook posted images of Owen’s kitchen project on Imgur.

It blindsided the toddler’s father when people began posting negative comments about the toy. There was some profanity, anti-gay slurs, and criticizing of the toddler for playing with a “girl’s toy.”

Hook said the comments were bad enough if they were aimed at adults, but to a little boy who simply enjoyed a kitchen toy, it was outrageous. He said if the negative comments were directed at him personally, he probably wouldn’t have responded. Given the fact they were pointed at his young son, Hook went on the attack himself.

The toddler's kitchen playset came together nicely and the boy can even cook on it.
The toddler’s kitchen playset came together nicely and the boy can even cook on it.

The boy’s father adds that users were suggesting that he pushes his son into liking “girl toys” because the child is too young to make decisions for himself.

Hook said they were flat-out wrong about their false assumptions.

“They were indicating that it is a toy that’s designed for a girl, saying ‘He’s 2 and he can’t make his own decisions, so you are pushing this on him.’ Like I said, he’s always wanted to play in the kitchen area, so we just knew it was a toy that he would like. It’s not my decision what my son wants to play with. If he has an interest and wants to play with it, I’m not going to stand in his way. The second you start denying kids of something they want to play with, they will start resenting you.”

Owen’s father says that he loves his new kitchen and cooks meals with it for the family dog.

Social media can be a great place to share things, but it can have a bad side. Even children aren’t immune to critics. In this instance, a toddler being criticized for playing with a kitchen playset was an unfortunate experience for the parents.

[Photos via Imgur]

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