Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:29 — 34.9MB)
What do you do if a teacher shames your son in front of the class? For many parents, this is not an abstract question. Teachers, coaches, bus drivers and yes, even parents still use shame to shape kids’ behavior. Adults yell at children in front of their peers, berate them for a lack of effort, … Continue reading How Shame Harms Boys
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:14 — 44.9MB)
It’s not easy to talk to boys about anxiety, depression and mental health. And yet, in a world in which 1 in 8 kids has an anxiety disorder and 2-3% of children ages 6-12 have serious depression and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24, not talking about these … Continue reading Helping Teens Cope with Anxiety, Depression & More
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:53 — 35.4MB)
The secret to parenting success — & satisfaction — is simple: Parent from love, not fear. So says Bryan Post, founder of The Post Institute for Family Centered Therapy. Adopted as a child, Post experienced the difficulties that can arise when a child’s needs conflict with a parent’s experience. His adopted sister was born prematurely … Continue reading Parent From Love, Not Fear (w Bryan Post)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 33.2MB)
It’s time for another listener Q & A! A Boys Alive! FB group member asks: How can I interest a teen boy in becoming a good world citizen? A Twitter follower asks: What do you say to boys who say they’re the best at…whatever the conversation is about. I’ve heard this from multiple 7/8/9 yo … Continue reading Gender Differences, Bragging & Raising World Citizens
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:15 — 46.1MB)
Our boys often wear metaphorical masks. We all do, in fact. At work, we typically wear our confident, professional faces. At home, we aim for warm, nurturing and competent. But underneath, we may be feeling anger, frustration, sadness or shame. Our “masks” allow us to go about our days and meet our responsibilities without ruffling … Continue reading Masks We Wear with Ashanti Branch
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:27 — 34.9MB)
The Boy Code. The Man Box. Whatever you want to call it, our boys are constrained by a largely unspoken set of expectations that exert pressure on them to behave and act in certain ways. Jonathon Reed helps boys — and others — understand and question these expectations. His podcast, Breaking the Boy Code, features … Continue reading Breaking the Boy Code
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:48 — 43.3MB)
Boys interact differently than girls do. Sure, some of that is socialization. (A lot of that is probably socialization.) But the fact remains: boys’ interactions on the playground, in school and at home are different than girls’. The way boys greet and play with one another is different than the way girls do so — … Continue reading Teaching Boys Social Skills
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:51 — 33.1MB)
When do boys grow up? That question tends to elicit a chuckle; ask it in a group of middle-aged women, and you’re likely to hear someone joke about their not-yet-grown husband. Ask it in a group of men, and well, you’ll hear much the same thing. But to anxious parents, the when do they … Continue reading Will He Ever Grow Up?!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:57 — 27.5MB)
“He just won’t talk to me.” If you’ve ever uttered those words, you are not alone. Nearly every parent of boys has complained and/or worried about their sons’ silence. We know that there’s a lot going on in our boys’ lives and we want to help — but how can we help if they won’t … Continue reading How to Listen to Him – So He Will Want to Talk with You
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:00 — 43.5MB)
Rosalind Wiseman’s work is based on the belief that young people’s experiences are important, but often discounted. Adults, she says, frequently give young people advice without listening to them first. Boys often tune out adult’s well-meaning messages because we fail to recognize that they are the subject matter experts of their own lives. However, if … Continue reading Rosalind Wiseman on How to Talk with Boys