Best of the Blogs

Photo by espensorvik via Flickr

Here it is! The Best of the Blogs for the week of June 4-8:


Why Society is Failing Young Boys. Boys/young men aren't doing so well in society. Girls are graduating college are far greater rates than boys are, and many young men continue to struggle well into adulthood. The image a loser-ish young man living in his parent's basement is, unfortunately, awfully close to reality for a lot of guys. What gives?

The authors of this post (the same people who wrote The Demise of Guys: Why Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It) write:

 We wanted to find out the factors contributing to motivational and social problems in today's young men. The most popular response we got across the broad spectrum of answers - nearly two-thirds of participants agreed - it was because of conflicting messages from media, institutions, parents, and peers about what is acceptable and desirable male behavior. This means guys aren't sure what it means to be a man.

20 Summer Snack Foods Your Kids Will Love. My grocery bill is about to go up. WAY up! My four boys will be home most of the summer, and with a teen and a tween in the house, we go through food fast. The boys and I are always in the market for some fast, fun, healthy snack ideas. Popcorn, yogurt and cheese and crackers gets boring after awhile, you know?

I love this list because it's made of of snacks that can be made with ingredients we already have in the house. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Bacon Popcorn will be a big hit at our house!

What Happens When We Don't Teach Our Boys About Sex. Our boys are surrounded by rampant hypersexualized images and ideas. Like many parents, I instinctively know that those messages are not helping my boys develop a healthy sexuality. But like many parents, I'm not exactly sure how to help my boys develop a more healthy outlook towards sex. (I know how to provide the facts, but I also know that healthy sexuality is lot more than biomechanics.) I still don't have all the answers, but this blog post emphasizes why it's important to try.

My favorite lines: "We adults have put boys in charge of teaching other boys about the most sacred parts of their bodies. Boys are teaching other boys about sexuality in this culture. And because adults are unable or unwilling to step up, this is the mess we are in."


Science Makes It Official: Boys Are Filthy, Covered With Cooties. Funny, isn't it? We've been talking about how the media perpetuates stereotypes about boys, and here's a headline that does exactly that.

The actual post is about a scientific study. The headline writing? Less than scientific.

Boys Will Be Boys, Eventually. A fascinating look at boys' fashions throughout history! And, when you think about it, a perfectly interesting example about how the definition of "manly" and "male" has changed through time.

Did you see any great boy-related blog posts this week? Share the link below!