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Let’s get honest, we all are shy— some of us just know how to hide it, or how to move beyond it. Our shyness is part of our unique sensitivity to life. But as we travel through childhood, then manhood, we are trained to suppress our sensitivity. I know for myself, I did everything I…
Today President Obama speaks in Chicago about gun violence because the Black Youth Project generated over 45,000 signatures on their petition to have the president come to Chicago. Having our President speak about gun violence’s largest set of perpetrators and victims is huge. Black boys are traditionally the last to receive political attention. Now that…
In our attempt to do the right thing, to leave no child behind, to create perfect children, we have created a tight box of acceptable behavior. Particularly for boys. Whether it’s guilt, a need to be perfect parents, or a willingness to go along with the status quo, we have allowed our institutions to raise…
It’s hard to be a boy these days. A boy today goes to schools run mostly by women, who are under intense pressure to get test scores up. His recess is reduced or taken away because there is so much to learn. His need to move, express, and rough house—perfectly natural activities for a young…
…older men need to provide a better model for younger men. What happened to the good old days when men ruled? When being a man was the thing? Obviously, those days are not coming back. Good thing, too. No man I know would really want to go back to the days of women feeling repressed….
If there weren’t already enough reasons to shift how we show up as men, Steven Chong in his article speaks about how a father’s absence increases the risk of poverty and crime. The principle cause of poverty in the U.S. is absent fathers. Fathers in households build the self-esteem of children, pulling them out of…
