Helping Boys Unleash Their Creativity

artist painter boy standing at easel

Image – CC0 License Helping our boys to be themselves can be a bit of a challenge. Some boys aren’t exactly keen on sharing their inner selves with the rest of world — and that’s okay, as long as they are confident in themselves.  Parents can help boys discover (and express) their authentic selves by […]

Managing Your Growing Boys’ Health

Building Boys Featured Image

Image Source Managing your boys’ health is a big responsibility. Of all the (many!) things you do as a parent, facilitating their good health and well-being is among the most important, as doing so will help them lead the happiest, healthiest and, hopefully, longest lives possible. Of course, there are countless areas to focus on, but […]

Helping Your Son To Be Himself

cheerful multi-ethnic family walking, son on dad's shoulders

Boys can suffer a lot from self esteem issues as they grow, and quite a lot of the time, these worries and fears are swept under the rug. Men’s mental health can be an oft ignored issue, but increasingly, parents (and teachers) are turning their attention toward boys’ mental health. One way you can help: […]

The Return of Youth Sports

I bought coffee from a concession stand this weekend. And drank it while sitting in the bleachers. It was my first coffee-in-the-bleachers in more than a year-and-a-half. The pandemic sucked (still sucks!), but here I am, writing about concession stand coffee, because after more than a year of lock downs and social distancing, once-common “annoyances” […]

Your Son’s Health Must Always Come First

Your son’s health is a priority. When he’s young, it’s up to you to take all the necessary safety precautions, and you can control his food intake and exercise so his health is in the best possible condition. As he gets older, you step back and teach your son how to take care of his […]

Building Boys & Learning During a Pandemic

Learning during a pandemic is challenging.  Hell — LIVING during a pandemic is challenging. But you already know that. The chaos, confusion and sense of overwhelm are likely intimately familiar to you now. What you want — need –– are answers. Answers that will help you figure out how to keep your boys learning during a […]

ON BOYS: August 2020

We covered a lot of ground on ON BOYS parenting podcast in August: Back-to-school (pandemic-style!) How (& why) to start a boys’ book club Encouraging boys’ interests, no matter what they are Raising boys who become good men If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to ON BOYS so you don’t miss an episode!  […]

What About School?

What about school? is the question on everyone’s minds right now. It’s on the minds of school district administrators, teachers, parents, legislators, school staff…everyone, really. There is an upside to this near-universal questioning. For the first time in the 20 years I’ve been raising kids (including the 10 years I’ve been covering education as a […]

Raising Boys to Be Good Men: Book Review

I have spent two decades working on raising boys to be good men. Have I succeeded? Early signs look good — my 22 year old is living, working and studying independently in another state; my 19 year old recently cooked me a birthday dinner; and all 4 of my boys prioritize time with extended family […]

Reading Raising Cain

My oldest son wasn’t yet two when Raising Cain:Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys was published in 1999. At the time, I was so immersed in the process of parenting that I didn’t have any time to read and reflect on the experience. And, my son was young enough that I hadn’t yet needed to […]