Why I’m Building Boys
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 boys opened my eyes to things I’d never even considered […]
To Help Black Boys, Listen to Black Men
A note from Jennifer: A week ago, in light of the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and 5 Dallas police officers, I re-shared my 2014 post, Why We Need To Worry About Black Boys. The response was generally positive, but I got comments like these too: When I think of the black kid who […]
For Our Boys
Moms, it’s time for us to unite. I don’t care what color your skin is, or what color your sons’ skin is — we all share the same hopes and dreams for our sons, and together, we stand a much better chance of making them happen. This morning, I read the plea of a white […]
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 will. Dr. Anderson (and other docs, also quoted in the […]
Supporting Families and Education
Finland is doing something right. At least, that’s the basic premise behind a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, “All Eyes on Education.” Finnish students excel on international measures of academic achievement; they consistently receive high scores in reading, math and science. Finland also has one of the world’s smallest achievement gaps between its lowest- and […]
Falling Through the Cracks
Last month I wrote a post about a 15-year-old boy who was found with 53 baby birds in his bedroom. Today I received an anonymous comment from a reader claiming to be the boy’s mother. I have no way of verifying her identity, but since her comments are interesting — and at least one news […]