Jennifer L. W. Fink

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Mattel, Moms & Toy Cars

Photo by jencu The headline — “Mattel Thinks Moms Need Help Playing with Hot Wheels” — drew me in. So did some of the comments, both within the article and elsewhere online. One mom said she found the concept “insulting,” while another mom wrote, “But

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In Defense of Boys & Guns

This is a PopTart. It’s a pretty non-threatening almost-food that is commonly eaten by young children and adults who hope to recapture a moment of youth. Photo by Jennifer L. W. Fink This is a boy. (One of mine, actually.) Adding a boy such as

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6 Tips to Help Your Boys Thrive

To a parent of boys, the reasons for boys’ underachievement can seem glaringly obvious: Lack of unstructured outside time. A school environment that too often equates learning and teaching with sitting down and filling in worksheets. A culture that frowns on very typical boy behavior

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Young boy in class

How to Help Boys

To a parent of boys, the reasons for boys’ underachievement can seem glaringly obvious: Lack of unstructured outside time. A school environment that too often equates learning and teaching with sitting down and filling in worksheets. A culture that frowns on very typical boy behavior

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Boys, Bullying & Guns

The 16-year-old California boy shot a classmate who allegedly bullied him. The main story line — boy brings gun to school and shoots — is, sadly, not a new one. We have seen and heard this story before, far too many times. And whatever your

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Boys & Violence

Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr Are boys predisposed to violence? I’m not talking about play wrestling. I’m talking about serious violence. Have you noticed that virtually every mass murderer was male? That the school shooting and mass shootings that pop up on our news casts

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Boys & Violence

Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr Are boys predisposed to violence? I’m not talking about play wrestling. I’m talking about serious violence. Have you noticed that virtually every mass murderer was male? That the school shooting and mass shootings that pop up on our news casts

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Invest in Families, Not Meds

We’ve decided as a society that it’s too expensive to modify the kid’s environment. So we have to modify the kid.      — Dr. Michael Anderson, quoted in the New York Times If that quote doesn’t send chills up your spine, I don’t know what

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Musings on Manhood

My friend, Dr. Marcus Jackson, a middle school principal and writer, is currently surveying men about their definition of manhood. (If you’re a guy, and have something you’d like to share, post your thoughts in the comments below.) I’m intrigued by his survey, so I

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Building Boys

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