Not knowing what types of foods your son cooks (other than in bulk on Sundays), I might suggest the following:
(2) A good spatula or two (not plastic or rubber); a good slotted spoon (not plastic or rubber); a good ladle; a couple of good wooden spoons of different sizes/handle lengths; a whisk (but not too large).
(3) I tend not to use Pyrex or Anchor Hocking glass storage containers just because I am afraid to break them. I purchase plastic storage containers because I can use them in either the refrigerator or in the freezer.
(5) A decent Dutch oven (it doesn’t have to be anything too fancy). I always regret not using my Dutch oven more when I was younger; I use mine now to make soups/stews and casseroles (or any one-pot dish), which I store in the containers in #3.
If you do any cooking with a cast-iron skillet, that might be a possibility (Lodge makes a number of decently priced skillets); cooking with a cast-iron skillet is easier if you have someone to show you how to do it – which is why I asked whether you cook with a cast iron skillet, so you could cook with the skillet your son and he can learn from you.