Gender – Boy to Man

image of brain drawing at top, with finger pointing to it saying gender is here, finger pointing down below it, saying not here

Last month, I promised you that the next post here would discuss gender, again. Why? An article that appeared in The Atlantic in December, titled The Miseducation of the American Boy, that discusses the problems boys are having with becoming men. Last month, we covered the issue of sex (the noun, not the verb), making … Read more

Sex versus gender

image of brain drawing at top, with finger pointing to it saying gender is here, finger pointing down below it, saying not here

This semester I’m teaching a course in the Psychology of Human Sexuality. I’ve discovered that very few of my students know anything about the basics and biology of sex. So, we start with a comprehensive course in sex education. From the very beginning, I point out that there is a difference between sex and gender, … Read more

Giving kindness

black block with white text give without remembering and receive without forgetting - quote by Elizabeth Bibesco

It’s the time of year when many of us are remembering those who have held special places in our lives. We send out cards to people we’re only in touch with once a year, often accompanied very often with a letter listing triumphs and tragedies, bringing these acquaintances up to date with what our immediate … Read more

What kids really need … is structure.

cartoon image of older couple coloring with young children, with adults looking on

Around a decade ago, I visited a friend whose grandchildren were staying with her for a couple of weeks in the summer. The children were young, one was two and the other almost five, and they had been there for over a week. When we sat down for lunch, the older child leaned over and … Read more

Boys will be boys

two boys scuffling - illustration by Frances Tipton Hunter

How many times have we said, when looking at our boys jumping around, wrestling on the grass, or shouting at each other to do something, “Oh, well, boys will be boys.” We understand that the behavior is typical of boys, that no one taught them to do it, and it usually does not end well … Read more