Why a Masculinity Camp for 8-Year-Old Boys is a Good Idea
Masculinity and sexuality are not the same thing. That statement seems so incredibly obvious to me — and perhaps to you too — but I’m compelled to state it, straight up, after reading this critique of a Santa Monica masculinity camp for boys: “In Freudian terms, age 8 to 11 falls in the period of […]
We Need a New Approach to Bullying
Our anti-bullying programs aren’t working. Kids continue to be bullied in school and elsewhere, and ignoring it or walking away often makes it worse. The boys I see in my practice who are bullied tell me, “I just deal with it. There’s nothing anyone can do…” It all happens so quickly. Teachers aren’t seeing it, […]
Introducing The National Center for the Development of Boys
“Boy magic.” That’s what Troy Kemp saw the first time he set foot on the campus of McCallie School, an all-boys school in Chattanoogna, Tennessee. It was the first time Kemp, then a math teacher, saw an educational environment that encouraged, embraced and accepted boys as they are, and taught boys according to their needs. He […]
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 […]
Interview on the Dr. Vibe Show
Glenn Barker, Dr. Marvin Thompson and Dr. Vibe hosted a round table discussion with BuildingBoys founder, Jennifer L.W. Fink and Thabiti Boone. If you missed Jen’s interview last week, you can listen to it here.
Building a White House Council on Boys & Men
In 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order and created the White House Council on Women & Girls, “to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy.” It is now 2015, and there is no complementary White House Council on Boys & Men, despite the fact that a […]
The Boy Crisis
Recently, I had the chance to talk with Warren Farrell, PhD, chair of the Commission to Create a White House Council on Boys & Men and author of The Myth of Male Power, Why Men Are They Way They Are and Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say. Dr. Farrell outlined what he considers the five components […]
Men & Boys Cry Too
The NFL has taken a lot of (deserved) hits lately. The league’s questionable handling of some of its players’ unquestionably bad behavior have left many wondering if the NFL, football and professional sports don’t contribute to a culture of toxic masculinity – a one-sided, tough-guy version of manliness that sometimes spawns ideas of male entitlement and acts […]
Dear Young Men, by David Cain
Dear young men, I want to tell you what I wish I’d been told, as I bumbled through the awkward years between 15 and 25. This whole letter might sound self-important, coming from a 34-year-old who writes mostly about how he’s just beginning to get the hang of adult life. Maybe it is, and you […]
A New View on Boys & Fighting
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am not a boy, and I’ve never been a boy. I write from the perspective of a mom of four boys, from the perspective of a mom who sees and understands and is sympathetic to the challenges boys face in today’s society. It was my boys (and […]