Men cooking....

I disagree with your husband. Cooking is not a "feminine" thing for a man to do and if your son enjoys it, let him run with it like you have been. My wonderful man loves to cook and he is FAR from feminine. I think it's incredibly sexy and sweet that he enjoys doing it so much. And, truth be told, he's a better chef and baker than I. I'm okay with this

Some kids have a really hard time finding things they are really passionate about, so the fact that he's as young as he is and really excited about cooking is pretty awesome, I'd say. There are a lot of successful male chefs in our current society and I don't think any of them should be ridiculed for being feminine.

Most chefs are men, but aside from that fact, if your son wanted to be a fire breather a good father would support him no matter what.

Both my boy's learned to cook at a an early age they love it. No mind you my oldest one now in college dosen't cook as much as he did with his high school classes but he knows how to cook. My younger son he trys new things all time with little cooking classes. I think he should try it at least he will have a chance to try something he likes and he may find it isn't something he really wants to do but I think he should go for it. My husband to cooks and he is amazing at it as well. I don't think one should discurgage are children if it is something they are truly passionate about, unless it is something harmfull that is diffrent.

I think your 14 year son should try it and phewy to your husband no offense. Some of the worldest famous Men are chefs

Let the boy take the culinary class. its not feminine. A lot of chefs are men. Ever watch food network? more men than women it seems. Also, its a great career.... a lot of science goes into it, nutrition, menu development, etc etc. its not all food prep and making fancy feasts. Your husband needs to do some research on culinary careers if this is what interest your son.

Having grown up with a Latino family that wasn't "traditional", I think it's great that you are helping him in his quest to become a cook, chef, or whatever he aspires to be. My parents never looked down on me or any of my various dreams growing up. I wanted to be a chef, computer tech, and welder, just to name a few things. It wasn't until I found my niche that I was truly happy. There are many men that cook who you would never call anything other than men. Gordon Ramsey, Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, and Wolfgang Puck come to mind. These men are incredible artists that make amazing things with food. I would even dare say, without any research to back me up, that most successful chefs are, in fact, men. It's not to say women can't be chefs, but, most television shows and cooking channels spotlight men as the chefs. It's the 21st Century. Let's break out of "traditional roles" and encourage him to do what makes him happy.

Some of the best chefs in the world are men, also one of the hardest to actually break through. I would be more concern at what type of living he can make with all the competition and lack of big $$ unless you are a super chef (and all those guys started at the bottom) than the fact cooking is "feminine" as Chad Ocho would say Child Please!
I enjoy cooking, cook just about every night. I like knowing what I put in my food and what I'm eating.
Wonder what would Ramsay say if he told him cooking was feminine.

Again I would be more concern about the $$ for someone starting out that then actual profession choice.

My brother was like that at that age, and later became a professional chef. There is nothing feminine about my bro-man, he just loves and has a talent with food. Not sure what your husband's issue is, especially since as you point out, many top chefs are male. Also, even if your son was a little (or a lot) feminine, if that's who he is, and he is happy, what's wrong with that?

Congratulations for embracing your son's interest. My brother, now 44, has always loved cooking and even took Foods class in high school. He is as manly as they come, complete with man cave, big garage and a wife and two boys. He has a binder of his favorite recipes and his wife loves that he takes an active interest in feeding the masses! My ten year old son loves to help me in the kitchen and my truck driving manly husband encourages him every step of the way. A recent trip to the local kitchen center found my little man checking out every gadget to see how it worked and how we would use it at home. He ended up with a palm peeler making his potato peeling days much easier. As parents, we should encourage and nuture our children's interests especially those that are safe and healthy pursuits. At the very least, he's learning an important life skill.

I have always been the cook for our family. In college it was the best way to get a date (offering to dinner), and I write a cooking blog (www.cookingwithtrace.com).

It is not gender specific and it is a skill that all kids should be learning for their health. Good luck!

My husband is a truly masculine man - no one would EVER say he has any feminine tendencies. And he LOVES to cook. He worked in a high end restaurant for years... Making these beautiful desserts; hand tossed, brick oven pizzas; killer bruschetta; and entrees that needed all these sauces and garnishes...

My son is almost 10 and ALL boy: he loves shooting targets, fishing, going on wilderness hikes with his Gramps, wrestling, working on the truck with his Dad...And he absolutely loves to cook as well. He is ALWAYS in the kitchen, helping me with just about every meal I make. He's actually pretty proud of himself for knowing how to use the Cuisinart food processor safely, how to handle knives, and how to be safe at the stove. The other day he did his first 'solo' cooking - he baked banana nut muffins to surprise his sisters for breakfast. I was completely hands off - just had to watch and answer questions he had. His future wife will love me for teaching him how to cook.

Both my husband and my son love the science behind cooking - I'm always explaining things to my son like why we use baking powder in one recipe, baking soda in another, and both powder and soda in a third... How yeast works... Why fresh pineapple ruins jello... And he is learning to love Alton Brown as much as his Dad!

"Traditional" gender roles are changing. More and more, society is willing to allow people to truly explore their interests and passions without looking down on them because it's "feminine" or "masculine." My girls love to shoot .22s, go fishing, and ride ATVs as much as their brother...

Learning to cook is definitely a skill everyone should have. Suppose your son should never marry or find a life partner... Should he be forever relegated to eat Ramen noodles or take out because he has no one to cook for him? Really, a cooking class will only prepare him for the future - either as a possible career path, or in knowing how to take care of himself, should he choose to live alone as an adult.

I'm going to defend your Husband here. Getting paid to cook is very manly, cooking for the family is viewed as more feminine. That doesn't mean it is the responsibility of only females, it just means that it is viewed that way in our society. If I told you that I cooked dinner while my wife hooked up our new surround sound system it would sound strange to most people. Not because either of us is incapable of doing those things, but because in our society they are viewed as outside usual gender roles. To argue against this point is to ignore the culture that we live in.

I don't think your husband is a Neanderthal or an idiot. There are a lot of things in our society today that push young males to be kindler, gentler and softer (generally more feminine qualities). Your husband is probably just concerned that your son could travel too far in that direction and lose some of the aggressive "male" nature that will help him later in life. No man wants any of their children to become a doormat. Instead of just dismissing your husband's concerns as outdated or sexist, try to understand his real reservations and look for an understanding you can both live with.

Arny

The kid has the right idea, where better to meet a bunch of girls and maybe get some digits than cooking class.

adding this, your husband should be high 5ving! Kid got this figured out at 14!

I don't think there's anything wrong with him wanting to take some cooking classes... It's obviously his passion! I'm 19 & I still don't know what my passion is.... lol. Plus, the ladies will love it