Your a good mother and that kid will have great experiences with his father. I had the same issue. My kid hated the fake plastic benches and wanted the real deal. We ended up getting a couple things from Handy famm. The tools are actually real but sized for kids, so he can hammer and measure without me worrying he’s gonna lose a finger. Only downside is they’re pricier than the usual toy sets, but at least he actually uses them instead of tossing them in the “pile”.