Grandma throws away her 14-year-old grandson's baking tools because she thinks baking is only for girls, dad kicks her out of the house: 'She said that now he can find a new appropriate hobby.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Jul 13, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Adults are obsessed with enforcing gender roles for kids. From day 1, babies are dressed in a very specific way to ensure that no stranger could ever mistake them for being the wrong gender. There's nothing inherently wrong with dressing your baby girl in pink and not dressing your boy in pink, but if you're high-strung about boy and girl colors, it's a slippery slope to pathologizing the most banal behavior as "not for girls" or "not for boys," particularly the latter. I have a male friend who has never sung because the people around him growing up told him it made him less of a man. I don't mean that he never sang onstage, I mean that he never even sang along to his favorite songs in the car. Adults shouldn't tell kids that they can't engage in the simplest of life's pleasures because doing so makes them less masculine. That's literally insane. 

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    AITAH for kicking my mother out for throwing away my son's baking things because she believes that baking is only for girls?

    My fourteen year old son loves to bake and he is really good at it too. He started with simple things like cookies but now he can bake just about anything from bread to pies, even cakes. Sometimes
    via u/SharpFly833

  • The kid in this story would've been at risk of losing his passion over stupid notions of masculinity if he didn't have such a great dad who is willing to stand up for him. The boy's grandma threw away his baking tools because she thought that only girls should bake, and his dad was having none of it.

  • 02
    friends and people we know will ask him to bake them something and he will charge them a small fee. My mother has always hated the fact that my son loves baking.
    via u/SharpFly833
  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10528656640
    via Andrew Lancaster

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    She doesn't understand 'what kind of boy enjoys doing things that are meant for girls'. Ironically his younger sister hates baking. I tried explaining to my mother that there's nothing wrong with
    via u/SharpFly833
  • 05
    my son's love for baking and that she's being sexist but my mother is stubborn and always makes sure to mention just how much she doesn't approve of it every chance she gets.
    via u/SharpFly833
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    She was visiting us for a few days and I came home from work to find my son distraught. When I asked him what's going on, he told me that he came back from a friend's house only to find that
    via u/SharpFly833
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    his baking things had disappeared. When he asked his grandma, she just said that now he can find a new appropriate hobby.
    via u/SharpFly833
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    Cheezburger Image 10528656896
    via Hosein Sediqi

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    He has a specific kitchen cabinet where he stores all his baking things and sure enough it was empty, they weren't in the trash either. I asked my mother what she did with my son's things and
    via u/SharpFly833
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    she proudly told me that she got rid of them because I was clearly not going to do anything about it and that I was a bad father for allowing it to go on as long as it did.
    via u/SharpFly833
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    These were approximately $200 worth of items collected over a period of time, hand mixer, scale, measuring things, pans etc. I told her that the only thing that I have allowed to go on way too long is
    via u/SharpFly833
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    Cheezburger Image 10528657152
    via Sorin Gheorghita

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    the constant disrespect for my son and that she needs to apologize to him and either bring back his things right now or replace them.
    via u/SharpFly833
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    She stubbornly said that she is not going to do that so I told her that first thing in the morning she needs to leave and she's not allowed back here or around my children until she learns to respect their choices. She huffed
    via u/SharpFly833
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    and puffed all night and left in the morning. She was originally supposed to leave on Sunday, the day after my son's birthday. She even took the gift she had bought him and left with it.
    via u/SharpFly833
  • 16
    My stepdad called me to let me know just what a piece of s*it he thinks I am for treating my mother this way and kicking her out like some random stranger, I told him that she did this to herself and hung up.
    via u/SharpFly833
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    Gina_gil Your mother's actions were disrespectful and outright theft, aimed at controlling your son's hobby. Protecting your child from her bigotry was absolutely the right call
    via u/Gina_gil
  • 18
    SharpFly833 OP Thank you, I am glad I did it.
    via u/SharpFly833
  • 19
    Feycat Maybe point your mom at Paul Hollywood if you ever speak to her again.
    via u/Feycat
  • 20
    simagus These were approximately $200 worth of items collected over a period of time That is actual theft causing you actual material loss. Just saying. NTAH
    via u/simagus
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    Disastrous-Bee-1557 If she's not willing to return or replace the supplies, then I say take her to small claims court and get reimbursed.
    via u/Disastrous-Bee-1557
  • 22
    desertboots Son might enjoy the process. Let him decide.
    via u/desertboots
  • 23
    Neveahsmiles 1. Kudos to your son for finding a healthy and potentially lucrative hobby. While some teens can be getting into trouble in their free time, your son is doing something wholesome. 2. Your mother is out of line and crossing boundaries. 3. You did the right thing.
    via u/Neveahsmiles
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    SharpFly833 OP And I love that for him. I can't explain how much baking makes him happy and nothing makes a parent happier than seeing their kids happy. My mom can go kick rocks honestly. Thank you
    via u/SharpFly833
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    LetThemEatHay You let her stay til morning. That was the wrong decision. You should've kicked her out and held her belongings ransom. Fair is fair. Maybe then she'd find an appropriate hobby that isn't bu ying your kid. You legit let her in your house with that behavior? Apologize to your son for allowing it.
    via u/LetThemEatHay
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    SharpFly833 OP I let her stay until morning only because it was already late and she stays far. I really do wish I would have thought of holding her things ransom at the time but I wasn't thinking straight. Thing is she only said these things to me not around my son and like I said on the post, I always made sure to tell her that she was wrong and sexist. I just never imagined she would take it this far.
    via u/SharpFly833

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family dynamics family drama fatherhood baking baker grandma parenting good parenting dad baked goods family grandparents grandson grandmother parents Father
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