Will Glennon - Nurturing Boys

Praise for Nurturing Boys

With a deemphasis on fragile mas culinity,
frat boy culture, and everything in between, Nurturing Boys guides parents toward a better understanding of childhood behavior patterns, rather than defaulting to tox ic norms.

Dr. John Duffy , author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety and The Availa ble Parent

Stuffed full of practical tips for teachers
and parents alike, Nurturing Boys will help
you connect with, empower, and u plift the
young men in y our life.

Becca Anderson , author of Every Day Thankful and The Buddhas Guide to Gratitude

This is the go-go guide to emotional
intelligence for boys; Just e xcellent.

Judy Ford , author of Wonde rful Ways
to Lo ve a Child

This book argues against teasing, shaming, and all the other negative methods that have been employedwith a societal wink and nodto shape young men. Instead, Will sees our boys as they are: complex, infinitely interesting, and c apable of
great strengthbut only if their emotional complexity is r espected.

Richard Louv , author of The Web of Life and 101 Things You Can Do for Our Childre ns Future

Will Glennons simple, straightforward definitions of the problems facing parents, teachers, and boys and his practical solutions help us all find our way through the often-bewildering maze that lies between the limiting cultural stereotypes and the full potential of the hu man male.

Jeanne and Don Elium , authors of Raising a Son: Parents and the Making of a H ealthy Man

Nuturing Boys

Nuturing Boys

200 Ways to Raise a Boys Emotional Intelligence from Boyhood to Manhood

Will Glennon

Foreword by Dr. John Duffy, author of
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety

Co ral Gables

Copyright 2020 by Will Glennon.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Elina Diaz

Cover Photo/illustration: goodluz/Adobe Stock, Syda Productions/Adobe Stock, mkitina4/ Adobe Stock, jbrown/ Adobe Stock

Layout & Design: Elina Diaz

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Nurturing Boys: 200 Ways to Raise a Boys Emotional Intelligence from Boyhood to Manhood

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: has been requested ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-370-8, (ebook) 978-1-64250-371-5
BISAC category code: FAM034000, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / Parenting / General

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Like Will, I have dedicated my professional life to researching positive methods of parenting, aiming to impact the psyche of our children and how they treat others in the future. So, when Will asked me to craft a foreword for this book, I reflected upon my own experience as a young boy in America, as well as the lack of accessible advice available when I was raising my own boy. As a clinical psychologist, certified life coach, and, most importantly, a devoted husband and doting father to my only son, I have personally experienced the hardships of raising a boy in our ever-evolving, fast-paced society. With technology being at the forefront of everything we do, it seems as if our children are more vulnerable to succumbing to toxic societal norms, at earlier ages than ever . Although everything around us seems to be progressingtechnology, economies, and trendstraditional methods of raising our boys have withstood the test of time, imprinting our sons with the same archaic notions of toxic masculinity from childhood and onwards. Real men dont cry. Man up! Dont be a girl! Unfortunately, these are phrases that I, and far too many other men, have heard consistently since adolescence. So, how do we reverse this toxic phenomenon if the society we live in seemingly perpetuates its existence? Well, first and foremost, the journey must begin within the very families that are currently raising these y oung boys.

As parents, I know we all want to nurture and care for our children, protecting them from any semblance of harm at all times. Often, we forget that danger does not solely lurk in a physical form but also within the social norms encouraging toxic masculinity and detaching our sons from their emotional intelligence. By guiding parents toward a healthier, more emotionally literate path of raising young boys, Wills book Nurturing Boys tackles an all-too-overlooked issue that impacts nearly half our population. With over two hundred straightforward (and well-researched) methods of showing our boys the importance of nurture by validating and acknowledging their emotions, Will encourages the healthy expression of feelings within our sons through playful parenting techniques. Equipped with the tools provided within this book, parents will be ready to skillfully encourage the emotional management of their boys, navigate constructive, not destructive, utilization of their sons emotions, and establish a safe space for effective communication. With a deemphasis on fragile masculinity, frat boy culture, and everything in between, Nurturing Boys guides parents toward a better understanding of childhood behavior patterns, rather than defaulting to toxic norms. Encompassing thoughtful anecdotal details throughout, Wills book will warmly reach out to you, like the friend who always shares their most successful parenting tips with you ove r dinner.

This intimate read conveys the solution to a problem that impacts not only our young boys, but also the world we eventually must send them off into. At one point or another, we have each been impacted by the wrath of toxic masculinity. Our current world has been plagued with mass shootings, domestic violence, and male domination due to the violent effects of social norms that deem emotional vulnerability a wretched sin. There is no better time than now to put your foot down and demand radical change: a change which seeks to liberate the emotions of young boys and nurture their fragility rather than demonize it. Although it is impossible to control all aspects of the environment we send our children into, what we can control is the approach and methods of parenting we impose upon them. I hope you join me in following the advice and guidance Will provides in this book and have
as much fun as I did engaging with my son t hroughout
this ex perience.

S incerely,

Dr. J ohn Duffy

Proud husband of Julie and father to George

When my son was ve, I took him on one of many trips to visit his grandparents. As we sat around in the postevening meal glow, I watched him work the room in his unique and extraordinary style. He had a capacity to insert himself effortlessly right into your heart, alternately playing, talking, touching, cuddling, laughing, and hugging. As he made his rounds before being shuttled off to bed, my mother, who sat beside me watching this unfold, turned to me and said, He reminds me so much of you at that age.

She meant it as a compliment, both for him and for me, but it left me speechlessI could not ever remember myself so uninhibitedly connected to my heart. Somehow, in the process of growing up male in this culture, in the space of a decade between my childhood and my confused teenage years, I had grown into a young man who lived completely within his head and was, without even knowing it, completely cut off from his feelings.