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 […]
Building Boys on The Morning Blend
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:
Yes, Boys Are Struggling!
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 glad as I am that boys are getting national attention, […]
The Everyday Challenges of Raising Boys
The hardest thing about raising boys, in my opinion, is dealing with the myriad challenges that present themselves every. single. day. I’ve been parenting boys for more than two decades now and there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not presented with some situation that I don’t quite know how to handle. My […]
Stop Assuming Boys Are Bad
“Something unexpected happened…” That’s the lead-up to this CBS New story about a middle school boy who befriended a 5 year old with autism: It’s supposed to be a simple feel-good story, the kind the news feeds us every now and then to remind us that all is not lost and that there is still […]
The Boy Crisis is Real
Is there a “boy crisis?’ Yes, despite the fact that men still remain in control of most companies and governments throughout the world. Continued male dominance of professions and power is obscuring the fact that boys and young men are struggling — and their struggles affect us all. That, in a nutshell, is the premise […]
4 Activities For Sons & Fathers To Bond
Pexels The best way to raise a strong son is to give him plenty of contact with a strong father. Mothers can of course teach sons to grow extremely well, but there is no substitute for a father and his guidance. Many people might take offense to this, but this fact doesn’t suggest that mothers […]
3 Tragic Consequences Of Telling Boys To “Man Up”
Much has been said about how damaging it is to live in a culture which tells boys and young men to “man up“. By continuing to use this kind of language, we unwittingly perpetuate the myth that not only is “manning up” preferable, but that it’s not good to show any signs of weakness or […]
Let The Boys Learn
True story: Two first grade boys were waiting to use the restroom and decided to kill some time by reading the words on the wall. They wanted to see who knew the most words. (Boys like to compete). This was a risk as it was “Quiet Time” in the hall. One of the boys began […]
A Sneak Peek at Raising Boys
When you understand why boys do what they do — and can anticipate some of the unique challenges faced by boys today — raising boys is MUCH EASIER! On May 13, 2017, I shared a lot of what I’ve learned about boys (through research, reading & plain ol’ trial & error!) with a group of […]