Talking about raising boys — the challenges we’re currently facing, trends and issues affecting our boys — is so helpful.
It’s through these conversations that we feel less alone. And discover new ways of handling vexing situations involving our boys.
And that’s why I’m launching Building Boys Book Club later this month. Building Boys Books Club will be a chance to connect with me, other parents, and educators, in real time. We’ll discuss books about boys — and, most importantly, we’ll collectively discuss how to apply what we’re learning to our interactions with our boys.
Our 1st Book: Building Boys
Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males came out one year ago. To celebrate one year of Building Boys — and to give you an opportunity to really dig into the book, to apply its lessons in your own lives — that’s the book reading this year.
Yes: I said “this year.”
I know you’re busy. I know that finding time to read a book can be challenging. And, I know that it takes time to really digest new information.
So, here’s how our book club is going to work:
Each month, we’ll focus on one chapter.
I’ll schedule a Zoom at the end of the month, where we can meet and discuss the chapter. This meeting will last approximately one hour. I’ll record it too, so interested members who can’t attend in person still get to learn from our conversation.
Together, we explore how that chapter applies to our current interactions with boys.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMMIT TO A YEAR OF CONVERSATION IN ADVANCE. Because I want this to be as simple as possible, you can simply register for (& participate in) each session as go. My plan is to cover the entire book in 2024; our tentative schedule looks like this:
April 25 — Introduction & Chap. 1, Learn the Terrain
May 23 — Chap. 2, Emphasize Emotional Intelligence
June 20 — Chap. 3, Discuss & Demonstrate Health Relationships
July 18 - Chap. 4, Let Him Struggle
Aug. 22 — Chap. 5, Help Him Find & Develop His Talents
Sept. 26 — Chap. 6, Give Him Time
Oct. 24 — Chap. 7, Challenge Him with Chores & Caregiving
Nov. 21 — Chap. 8 & 9, Keep Him Connect and Him to the Real World
Dec. 18 - Chap. 10 — Accept Him as He Is
I’ll launch registration a few weeks before our scheduled Zoom. (And you’re welcome to join us, even if you haven’t yet read the chapter.)
Registration opens soon
April 25 is quickly approaching, and I’m eager to talk with you! Soon, I’ll open registration for our first Zoom session. Stay tuned for further details — and please, share this email with friends. I’m looking forward to some lively conversations!
Here’s to building boys!
Jennifer
IN THE NEWS
No-Shampoo Trend Growing in Popularity with Teen Boys — Despite Risks
Highlights:
The #nopoo and #noshampoo movement that’s been prevalent on social media in recent years appears to be gaining steam among teen boys and young men.
Dermatologists advise against ditching shampoo from your routine.
My take: A great article to discuss w your boys – not from a “hey, your hair will fall out if you don’t use shampoo!” perspective, but from a “Have you heard about this No Shampoo trend? What do you think?”
How We Got Concussions So Wrong
Highlights:
“Study after study has shown that the concussed brain requires active rehabilitation—activities like exercise, reading, and screens—to heal.”
“The most up-to-date Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport…recommends ‘active rehabilitation’ and discourages total rest.”
Despite advancing science, “A report published in 2018 found that more than half of patients with concussions…are still leaving the doctor’s office without actionable, evidence-based information or referrals to specialists.”
“For the first 48 hours, concussion experts recommend, you should get ‘relative rest.’ Sleep a lot—as much as you need… After that 48-hour period, it’s time to start gradually acclimating yourself back to your normal activities, albeit at a lower intensity and shorter duration”
Have Your Second, Third, or Fourth Kid First
Highlights:
“Another thing that’s different is that we don’t do homework. With my oldest, it was ‘You gotta write all your numbers to 100 or else.’ Now I know he’s in college, and he’s fine. I wish I would have stressed about it less the first time around.”
“Keep your kid fed. Don’t have a power struggle over homework.”
“I wish I had known to assume everyone’s going to turn out great. Kids are weird, kids are gross at times; they turn into these adults and they’re lovely-ish and everything’s fine.”
ON BOYS Podcast
On Building Boys
Is Shared Parenting Best for Boys After Divorce?
…it’s best for kids to spend plenty of time with both mom and dad. It’s best if both parents are very involved in day-to-day parenting, and it’s best to put the needs of the kids ahead of the parents’ needs or desires.
I thank the Wisconsin court system for presuming that shared parenting is in the best interest of children, because without that presumption, I’m pretty sure I would have happily assumed the larger portion of parenting and relegated the boys’ dad to a lesser role. And that, I now know, would have been bad for my boys, bad for their dad and bad for me….