Clever girls, stupid boys?

[seabeyond]

38. you do not know how hard i had to fight for my two boys RIGHT to be smart while in middle school

during the bushco years of "we dont need no stinkin' education".

they are huge readers. older beyond huge reader and the stereotypes his fellow peers and adult males around him demanded of him had me battling his right to be smart and interested in academics while still fitting the boy mode. rough time in the panhandle of texas, during that time, in middle school, with the promotion of illiteracy for our guys from the repugs.

there are mens groups that do put in the time and effort with the boys, incredibly it is not the MRA's. boys are not on their agenda, or boys education or anything else. these groups just are not "masculine" (or conservative) enough for the MRA types.

one of my favorite books my son read about 8, that i bought for me to read and he commendeered and read as he went thru his stages is 'real boys' by dr william pollack

Based on William Pollack's groundbreaking research at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere over two decades, Real Boys explores this generation's "silent crisis"; why so many boys are sad, lonely, and confused although they may appear tough, cheerful, and confident. Pollack challenges conventional expectations about manhood and masculinity that encourage parents to treat boys as little men, raising them through a toughening process that drives their true emotions underground. Only when we understand what boys are really like, says Pollack, can parents and teachers help them develop more self-confidence and the emotional savvy they need to deal with issues such as depression and violence, drugs and alcohol, sexuality and love.

Just as Reviving Ophelia revealed the difficulties of growing up female, REAL BOYS gives parents much needed and practical advice about how to raise boys today and shows that by understanding boys--by listening to their voices--we can raise them to be happier, more successful men.