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Raising Boys Today
The Real Meaning of Strong
By Jennifer Nelson
It's no surprise that being a boy in today's society may be more difficult than ever before. The fun and games young boys took part in a mere decade ago have been replaced in some instances with inner-conflicts, unrelenting teen struggle and sometimes violence. As co-director of the Center for Men at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical Center and author of Real Boys: Rescuing our sons from the Myths of Boyhood, William Pollack glimpsed behind the stoic masks of troubled boys. In this best-selling book he details modern boys as they combat and cope with mixed messages from parents and society, conflicting expectations and increasing demands.
Aside from his writings and talks on the psychology of men and boys, Pollack's book is based on nearly two decades of clinical work. A few years ago, the best-selling book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher, Ph.D., attempted to give parents hope while raising daughters with self-esteem and self worth. Pollack now leads parents into the private worlds of boys to show how these young males can be reared to become happier, more successful and -- most important -- non-violent men.
According to Pollack's research, boys are faring less well than ever before – many have remarkably fragile self-esteem, and the rates of both depression and suicide among teen boys are at an alarmingly high rate. Nationally recognized psychologist Lawrence Steinberg agrees.
"The better adolescents feel about themselves, the less likely they are to cave in to peer pressure," says Steinberg, expert on psychological development and family relations during adolescence and author of several books on the teenage years.
