by janetedgette | Apr 15, 2021 | Boys, Boys and sports, Family life, Kids who don't like sports, Male athletics, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parent-Child communication, Parenting young children
Many men credit sports as having served as the cornerstone in their relationship with their fathers, as does Keith Gessen in his article Game Over (3/22/21). Tossing a ball or driving to events together offers an easy backdrop for talking and hanging out as well as a...
by janetedgette | Nov 6, 2020 | Boy behavior, Boys, Kids who don't like sports, Male athletics, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys
Esther J. Cepeda’s op-ed about the narrow margins of masculinity within which society tells men and boys to live (Guys, are you trapped inside the “ManBox” stereotype? Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 4/8/17) addresses a topic we are all familiar with, but don’t take...
by janetedgette | Nov 6, 2020 | Family life, Mental health, Parent-Child communication, Parent-Teen communication, Parenting
“Mom, there’s a guy in our driveway with a tow truck,” my son tells me, urgently. With miscalculated insouciance I reply, “No worries, dude, I’m sure it’s Bill.” Bill is our neighbor, and he owns a service station. “But he’s hooking up...
by janetedgette | Nov 6, 2020 | Boy behavior, Boys, Boys and sports, Family life, Kids who don't like sports, Male athletics, Masculinity, Nonathletic boys, Parenting young children, Self-esteem
Whether it’s innate, or acquired from their respective environments, or due to a lack of socialization, or some mix of these, boys have a long history of doing odd or mischievous things that amuse grown-ups and make them think, Well, there’s a boy for you! Norman...
by janetedgette | Jul 16, 2020 | Boy behavior, Boys, Masculinity
In failing to see the difference between boys, and boys who are behaving badly, we leave room for bad behavior to be seen as just another facet of masculinity instead of as a function of poor mental health, family dysfunction, or poor socialization. Parents who are...