To think this is ridiculous and sexist?

[Unplastered]

I and my team of leaders are currently camping with our girl guides and ranger guides (aged 10-17) at a county camp with around 600 participants. It is being held for 6 nights on a county show ground. All activities are provided, groups bring their own equipment and cater for themselves.

Our group are cooking (as we always do) all their own food in small groups using small gas stoves. They learn so much this way and generally share the chores out cheerfully.

We have learnt this afternoon that the Explorer scouts from our village (all boys 15+, many of whom are brothers of girls in our guide group) are also camping here, but instead of cooking for themselves, their mothers are taking it in turns to cook their food at home and bring it to the scouts ready made!

Am I being unreasonable to think this is everyday sexism at its absolute worst?!

[LashesandLipstick]

It's not sexist. It defeats the purpose of camping but it isn't sexist

[scribblegirl]

I actually thinks its sexist against the boys. I hate this 'oh they won't cope like DD will, I'll take them something' shit. It's patronising to men to assume that they are unable to cook because they have penises. Surely cooking for yourself is the fun of guide/explorer etc camp?

Also, it raises a bunch of boys who see cooking as a 'woman job', not great!

[cariadlet]

I always thought cooking your own food was one of the main attractions of camping. I can't believe that that the boys are being so wet as to have food brought from home. Ridiculous.

[Vatersay]

I'd take my girls to laugh at them at every possible moment.

Aren't their leaders embarrassed?

[YeOldeTrout]

Not sexist, just molly-coddled.

[Kewcumber]

Also, it raises a bunch of boys who see cooking as a 'woman job', not great!

Agreed certainly ridiculous OP whether its sexist depends on if there are mothers with sons in one camp and daughters in another and sons are getting cooked for, daughters not. It definitely sends a message that men need women to look after them.

Not what I teach my son.

[The80sweregreat]

This is odd. I thought boys loved fire and burnt food!
The mothers should be turned away.

[steppemum]

when my brother went on scout camp in the 1970s, all the boys cooked for themselves. they were scouts not even explorer scouts.

The day the parents visited they cooked roast lamb in an oven thing they had built themselves (and it was pouring with rain).

Sometimes I think we have gone backwards not forwards.

[fastdaytears]

I'm a guider (skiving county camp this week though very sad) and my girls would be gutted if they weren't cooking. What are the explorers' parents/leaders thinking? They're missing so much of the fun. Nothing tastes as good as some half cooked mush you've been working on for two hours in the cold with a woodsmoke aroma. You'd hate it at home but at camp it's amazing!

[HedgehogAtHome]

It's like we're (as in society) failing our children, of both sexes, when stuff like this happens. The women's work message and 'you couldn't possibly manage as you're a boy'.

If anyone's interested Tesco are doing a cook school thing over the summer. It's free and is 2 hours for 3 days. DS loved it.

[QueenOfNothing]

My DS is on explorer scout camp at the moment and he most certainly is cooking for himself.

I think what you're seeing is unusual and not the norm.

[Theycallmemellowjello]

Yes, completely sexist and bizarre. How sad.

[MillionToOneChances]

My ten year old son was cooking for himself at scout camp the other week. Not typical, therefore, but rather pathetic that they're coddling them like that. Totally missing the point of scouting.

[museumum]

Absolutely ridiculous!

Cooking on fire in groups is the most fun but on gas more practical.

If the activity timetable is very tight then have a central cook with each group taking turns to assist.

I've never heard anything as ridiculous as ordering in at scout camp!!

[StitchingMoss]

How utterly bizarre! Both dh and I went through scouts as kids and neither experienced this. My boys are in scouts and have started cooking for themselves since Beavers. My dh is a much much cook than me!

This infantilising nonsense is why so many women moan constantly about their husbands doing nothing around the house!

It's not the fault of the boys themselves, it's the fault of the leaders and the bloody mothers who went along with it!

[SurlyCue]

My son is cubs but the explorer unit of his scouts would faint in shock if that was suggested! So would the mothers i think. Totally ridiculous. What a crap explorer group. Leaders arent doing what they should be doing.

[Aeroflotgirl]

Those mothers are not raising independent young men, and they will in turn expect their partners to cook for them as they are so incapable.

[Dionysuss]

At a cub camp last weekend, my eldest had to help with cooking.

Did they have their washing up done by their mums too OP?

[guzzlewump]

Which way round has it happened do you think - the scout leader said the parents need to cater or the parents said they don't want their sons to cook?

If I was one of the mums who'd been told to bring a meal, I'd be refusing on principle and saying they should be cooking for themselves.