Parents face several hurdles in raising boys today. First, they must struggle
with the constant pressure they feel to separate from their sons when in their
hearts they yearn to stay close to them. Second, they're put into a Catch-22
situation because they're expected to raise boys to be loving and sensitive,
yet they're also expected to prepare their sons for the "real world"
where they may get teased, taunted, or shamed if they show their loving or sensitive
sides. And third, as their boys get older, parents may have to deal with the
ways in which their sons -- in response to society's shaming messages about
masculinity -- begin to harden themselves, and thus resist their parent's overtures
at closeness and connection. It is not mothers who are crippling our boys' masculinity
-- its society's myths about manhood that are preventing boys from being seen
and trained as whole human beings, men who can work effectively and live in
close relationships with other people.
Take this quiz and see how well you are supporting your son:
