The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness of the
issues surrounding boys in most of the western world. It is common
knowledge that boys lead the way in all the wrong statistics, including;
problematic behaviours, learning difficulties and health problems.
Educators and professionals around the world are looking for ways to
cater for and engage young males.
Approval and high regard lie at the heart of raising happy,
well-adjusted boys. Boys are approval-seeking creatures. They craved to
be liked, loved and appreciated – particularly by their mothers and
other significant women in their lives. They also want approval from
their fathers, which can be a tough ask.
Yes, boy’s behaviour are often in your face and direct. Subtle, boys are
not. But at least you know where you stand with boys.
Yes, they can be dirty, scruffy and smelly but scratch the surface and
you will reveal a gem underneath.
Yes, they are often more boisterous and active than girls but don’t
mistake boisterousness with aggression. Provide them with the space to
be active and give them ways to channel their energy in productive ways.
Yes, they are more prone to solving social problems physically than we
would like but their verbal skills need to be worked on a little harder.
They need to be shown how to resolve issues verbally rather than told
how to do it.
Yes, they are developmentally not as advanced as girls but we need to
aware of this when we decide the age they should start school. Boys who
start school on the before five years of age often have an uphill battle
compared to girls who can have a twelve month edge on them
maturity-wise.
Yes, some boys have difficulty getting organised and will invariably
have messy bedrooms, desks and leave clothes lying around but they need
step-by-step advice (as well as some lists and a willingness to repeat
instructions) about how to manage themselves and their schedules.
Yes, boys are not strong at reading the signs that others give and can
say and do the wrong things in public or at school. But we need to
encourage them to stand back and look (or think) before they leap (or
act) so that they can be a little more intuitive.
Yes, they are not the world’s most avid readers but we can account for
this by reading to them and making it fun, giving them more male role
models who read and provide alternative ways to gain information other
than books.
Yes, boys don’t work as neatly as girls in school but they are usually
more task oriented and can’t see the point of such processes. Computers
are a huge help for those boys who struggle to produce neat, tidy work
with neat, tidy borders.
Yes, boys can be clumsy socially but they form friendships around shared
interests and are less likely to exclude people from their friendship
circles because of something trivial such as the clothes they wear.
Yes, boys play for keeps when they play competitive sport but it is the
way they push themselves rather than prove themselves at the expense of
others.
Yes, boys have a different pathway to adulthood than girls – they become
adults by proving themselves so even simple games of sport can become a
test of their mettle. We need to provide them with safe proving grounds
so they don’t have to resort to illegal or dangerous ways of testing
their masculinity.
Okay, so this maybe a biased, Pollyannaish view of boys but to
successfully raise and teach boys we must understand and work with the
gender differences. And above all us you must LIKE them.
Michael Grose is The Parent Coach. For seventeen years he has been
helping parents deal with the rigours of raising kids and survive!! For
information about Michael's Parent Coaching programs or just some fine
advice and ideas to help you raise confident kids and resilient
teenagers visit
http://www.parentingideas.com.au
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/
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