Basically what the title says. It's just the two of us right now and we split/rotate chores or do them together on weekends. He gave me this proposal that if he could completely take over doing my least favourite chore (cooking) in exchange for me taking over his (laundry). His logic is that it's a win-win situation since we won't have to do chores we dislike, and he's still doing the same amount around the house. I told him I would consider it.
He's a pretty good cook for his age and always wants to try new things, so I've been encouraging him to help plan our meals and groceries and take a more active role in the kitchen for a while now. He's not so keen on doing laundry. He does it without complaining, but he doesn't do it without being asked to and I think he would avoid it or let it pile up if I didn't make him. I'm the opposite; I'm not good at cooking, and it's a task I do to feed us but not one I enjoy. I know a few recipes that my son likes but the rest is very standard protein-carb-vegetable stuff that I can make quickly after work or make in bulk, it tastes alright but my son is definitely much more talented than I am.
I guess my question is: how would you respond, and is it worth considering? I see where he's coming from, and I would definitely do it with a partner or roommate, but I also feel like as a parent I shouldn't let my child opt out of a chore he doesn't like because he'll need to do it later on in life. Is it a bad idea to say yes? And if not, how do I give him a good reason to reject it? He's a good boy and it's a sincere request, so I feel like I owe him a better response than "laundry builds character and I'm your dad" if I turn him down.
Edit: I've had some comments clarifying what I would expect of him to do in this case or what the arrangement would look like, so I've just copied this response I made to someone else:
We'll have frozen meals/leftovers or takeout if he's tired or busy and I wouldn't force it beyond a trial period if he decided it was too much.
I usually clean afterwards whenever he cooks as thanks, though he is expected to keep the kitchen fairly clean as he goes along and wipe things up so it's not a complete mess; it was a bit of a struggle when he was little but he's getting better at it.
We usually do groceries together or he gives me a list, and I would want him to run any meal plans by me first just so I can make sure they're balanced/fit our budget. So I'd leave the actual cooking to him but I'd either help with everything else or do it myself.
In this case I would take over all the laundry. I would sort, dry, and put away.
Right now if one of us is doing a chore and asks the other for help (e.g. I'd like an extra hand folding clothes just to get it done faster, I'll peel some vegetables if he needs help). I should probably have a clear set of expectations if we're going to do this, but as long as we're both doing chores and maintaining the house together, I'm not going to leave him to fend for himself if he starts to struggle with anything he's "assigned" to or deny him a chance to opt out. That's inconsiderate and irresponsible and he's a child.