So much is being written about Black boys and men that sometimes, as a Black woman and mother, it’s hard to separate my own feelings and thoughts from what I see, read and observe in the public sphere. As I research and study policy related
Tackling the subject of teens and memes is a bit…fraught. Last week, the New York Times published my article, The Role of Memes in Teen Culture. The article is aimed at parents (and grandparents and teachers), and it’s intended purpose is to help adults understand
On the whole, black boys fare worse that white boys on just about every measure: They are more likely to fail in schools, and more likely to drop out prior to graduation. They are less likely to attend (or graduate) from college, and less likely
For several years there’s been much study into boys vs. girls’ literacy enjoyment and success. According to a survey in Psychology Today, 52% of boys (compared with 72% of girls) said that they enjoyed reading books in the summer holidays. The study also reported that
Building Boys founder Jennifer L.W. Fink recently visited The Morning Blend, a Milwaukee AM talk show, to discuss the challenges of raising boys today:
20+ years into parenting boys, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on how to be an effective “boy parent.” I did not feel that way nearly 20 years ago, when I was trying to figure out why my perfectly content little boys
Author Peggy Orenstein has a new book out this week, Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent and Navigating the New Masculinity. (Spoiler alert: we’ll be interviewing Orenstein on ON BOYS podcast later this month.) Orenstein’s been making the media rounds and as
2019: Conversations about boys move to center stage. CBSN created a documentary about raising boys. The American Psychological Association released recommendations for working with boys and men, igniting a debate about “traditional masculinity.” At home, parents of boys continued to grapple with screen time and
Many people are horrified at the thought of single moms raising boys. In fact, some take it further and blame single moms for boys’ violent acts and declining academic achievement. Suzanne Venker, author of The War on Men, recently wrote: At home, boys of single
I’m building boys because I was blessed with four of them. My advocacy on behalf of boys — heck, most of my career, at this point — grew out of the simple fact that I am a mother of four boys. Being a mom of
We all have dreams for our children. Whether we want to support their endeavors to be astronauts or specialist doctors, we do everything in our power to prepare them for those futures. However, as you may personally know, our childhood dreams don’t always come to
Hospitals and birth centers don’t send new moms home with mentors, but maybe they should. According to the dictionary, a mentor is “an experienced and trusted advisor.” Wouldn’t that come in handy while parenting? I’ve been thinking about mentors ever since I attended a short
You can purchase the newest book from Building Boys at the following websites:
