Talking with your boy about “being different”

Has your child asked you about Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner yet? If he hasn’t, I can promise you he has been talking about that with his friends. In January, we discussed how your son knew he was a boy, and now we need to discuss the issue of transgendered individuals. All the evidence indicates that a disconnect … Read more

Boys + screen time: the real 411

boy and screen image

The question that parents ask me the most often is: “Are video games/computers/television dangerous for my son?” One problem with responding to that question is that these forms of technology haven’t been around for very long and the research that is done on the effects of technology have most often used university students as subjects. It seems as … Read more

Boys, Girls, and Nature/Nurture Identity Behavior

boy or girl image

Do you think your child knows he is a boy? Or has he just learned to call himself that because he learned it from those who are around him? Generally, children recognize the differences between men and women by ages one to two and can identify themselves as being male or female by the time … Read more

Restless Boys in School: Attentional Issues or Boredom?

bored boy in classroom

A friend called the other day to ask my opinion. Her son is in grade two and the boy’s teacher wants him tested for attentional issues. I asked what the teacher was concerned about. It seems that the boy will only pay attention if the teacher is standing right by him. The boy is supposed … Read more

What matters to boys?

bright faced boys photo

Boys have the reputation of being unemotional and not caring about others. In fact, the opposite is probably true – boys care a great deal about everything in their lives especially those around them. The problem is that they may not be able to express those emotions in part because they acquire words a bit … Read more

Boys and Organization (or lack thereof)

photo of boy with messy room

In the Northern Hemisphere, school is starting and in the Southern Hemisphere, you are all (well, at least those of you involved with education) thinking about the last part of the school year. In either case, the issue of organization may have reared its shaggy head because your son is unable or unwilling to organize … Read more

Handwriting: Still critical to learning

cursive handwriting image

I’m in the middle of revising my first book – Teaching the Male Brain – and I’m coming up with LOTS of new information that I’ll be sharing with you in the months to come. In the meantime, I have a topic I want to bring up because it has been something most of the boys’ … Read more

Early School – Good Idea, or Not?

bored boy photo

I was in England last week working with some schools there – a real mixed group, coed, girls’ and boys’ schools. While I was there a news item caught my attention. Someone in the UK has suggested that school start when children are 2 years old. I was flabbergasted. If you have been paying attention … Read more

Navigating the transition from elementary to middle school

middle school image

For any kid, moving up from elementary to middle school presents a challenge. For boys, who are almost always still children – i.e. have not hit puberty yet – when they enter middle school, that change might not seem too much of a change at first. The learning shift that happens in middle school – … Read more

Boys, stress & competitiveness in school

stressed boy image

Stress “Fight or flight” – we’ve all heard of it. We’ve all experienced it. When in a stressful situation, your body reacts with an elevated heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, increased breathing rate, dilated pupils. You’re on alert, ready to fight or flee in response to the stressor that caused the reaction. In … Read more