Here is a landmark book that reveals how boys think, showing parents, educators, and coaches how to reach out and help boys overcome their most common yet difficult challenges. Do you constantly struggle to pull information from your son, student, or athlete, only to encounter evasive assurances like "It's nothing"? Do you sense that the boy you care about is being bullied, but that he'll do anything to avoid your "help?" Have you watched with frustration as your boy flounders with girls? Welcome to Boy World: a place where asking for help or showing emotional pain often feels impossible. Where sports and video games can mean everything, but working hard in school frequently earns ridicule. Where hiding problems from adults is the ironclad rule. Boy World is governed by social hierarchies and a powerful set of unwritten rules that have huge implications for your boy's relationships, his interactions with you, and the man he'll become. If you want what's best for him, you need to know what these rules are and how to work with them effectively.--From publisher description.
Of course I had heard of Mean Girls (though I never saw the movie), and I had also heard of the book it was based on. But when those came out, I didn't have a daughter and so didn't pay a whole lot of attention. However, I now have a 12-year-old son. Granted, we have a pretty darn good relationship (at least, that's what I've been told by other parents), but I want to learn how to keep it that way. I'm no pushover - I'm the mean mom of the neighborhood. But I try very hard to be respectful of my son's thoughts and opinions. Knowing that things may become more difficult as he gets older and enters high school, I was curious about this book and whether it would actually be helpful.
I have found this book to be chock-full of fantastic information, much of it highlighted with perspectives from boys themselves. I have highlighted passages, folded pages over, and already thought of a few friends who are raising boys that might also benefit from this book. I can see this book being used repeatedly as my son continues to grow and learn about who he is. I like that the book is broken into sections about specific issues, making it easy to refer to when necessary. I *love* the fact that she assembled a team of boys in a large variety of ages who give a lot of insight. It may not always be the insight that parents will WANT to hear, but knowing it's coming straight from the horse's mouth gives it significant value within the scope of this book.
I believe that this is a book that I will be referring to again and again. It's truly a valuable resource for parents of boys, but also for those who work closely with boys (teachers, clergy, counselors, etc.). I cannot recommend this highly enough! I rarely give 5-star reviews, but I firmly believe that this book deserves that rating.
