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How many of these myths & misconceptions about boys have you heard?
How many do you believe?
- “Boys are easier than girls.”
- “Boys are less emotional than girls.”
- “Boys leave their families when they grow up.”
- “With boys, you don’t have to fight over clothing choices.”
- “There’s less to worry about with a son than a daughter when they’re teenagers and dating.”
“Boy mom” & writer Jessica Wozinsky Fleming, a mom of 4 sons (ages 7, 5, 3 & 3) has heard all of these before. (As has Jen, our resident “boy mom!”)
“When people found out that our last pregnancy was two boys, we heard a lot of comments like, ‘oh, should I congratulations or I’m sorry?’ and ‘Oh! You’ll have to keep going!'” Jessica says. “And these comments were often in front of my other boys, who were old enough to understand what’s being asked.”
Such comments are difficult to explain to young boys – who may assume that those statements imply girls are more desirable than boys — and can bring up complicated feelings of sadness in parents who initially dreamed of parenting boys and girls.
Parenting boys has taught Jessica that many things people believe about boys simply aren’t true. (Or, at least, not true for all boys.)
“So many people have told me that boys are less emotional,” she says. “But there are a lot of big emotions at my house!”
In this episode, Jen & Jessica discuss:
- Myths & misconceptions about boys
- Public reactions to all-boy families
- Helping boys recognize myths & misconceptions about boys
- Teaching boys about consent & talking about sexual violence
- Making space for boys
- Roughhousing
- Potty training boys
- Adapting your parenting to your kids’ individual personalities
- Brother relationships
- How gender stereotypes still limit boys
Links we mentioned (or should have) in this episode:
jessica-fleming.com — Jessica’s website
All Boys? — classic Building Boys post
To Raise a Boy (w Emma Brown) — ON BOYS episode (mentioned around 16:00)
Why Roughhousing is Good for Kids, & How to Keep It Safe — Jessica’s Washington Post article
The Art of Roughhousing (w Dr. Lawrence Cohen) — ON BOYS podcast
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