Episodes

Photo by Linda Severson via Flickr - - Traditional societies had many (often elaborate) rites of passage for boys and girls. - On the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, boys become men after diving off rickety 40 foot platforms -- toward the ground....

Enjoy this episode from our archives - it's too good to miss! - AND if you're intrigued by what you hear, consider joining co-host Janet Allison for her upcoming online class: "5 Steps to Untangle Your Parenting.

Would you let your 10-year-old son hang out with a bunch of teenagers you haven’t met? Would you let him attempt a double or triple flip in the trampoline in the backyard – or manage his own Instagram account? Writer and mom Judi Ketteler has. In a society that spends so much time telling boys to sit down and shut up, Judi has found a way to facilitate her son’s interests and personal growth, even though her son’s preferred sport, Gtramp, is risky and unregulated. She’s found ways to say yes, r...

Photo by Pascal Maramis via Flickr - How do you respond to phone calls and emails from teachers about your son's misbehavior? - Excerpts of actual emails I've received from my son's teachers: On Tuesday,

HOMEWORK can bring out the worst in us...and our kids. We wonder if we should force them to do it (again) or if we can just stop having them do it all together because the conflict is too great. Is it really important? How do you manage - and help your son manage? In this re-broadcast of Episode 101, you'll find information and courage to choose the homework path that is right for your family. Photo by Lars Plougmann via Flickr Few things cause boys (and their families) as much stress as HOME...

One of our jobs, as parents and educators of boys, is to help them learn how to deal with tough emotions -- including grief. As much as we want to, we can't protect our boys from hurt. Loved ones die. Parents divorce Friends move. Boys fail to achieve important goals, and experience rejection from peers. Grief hurts. It comes and goes. Or it just stays and never seems to go away... Everyone handles grief differently. Boys tend to handle grief MUCH differently - we may be surprised AND concern...

Jo LangfordSex educator & author - The standard "birds and bees" sex talk doesn't work any more. (If it ever really did!) - Today, parents have to address pornography, homosexuality, gender and consent. If you feel nervous tackling those topics,

"My son just turned 14 & his girlfriend is 13, and he doesn't understand why I won't leave them alone in my house. Am I being over protective of BOTH of them? I feel a duty of care to his girlfriend. I know how easily things can turn from innocent t...

Photo via PixaBay - A listener asked us, "How do you gently encourage/educate your boy's teacher on what boys need and how to help them, rather than shame them, when they have gone into anger?" - The short answer: It ain't easy, but it's so,

Photo by Brent Gambrell via Flickr - - 1 in 2 children will develop a mood or behavioral disorder or substance addiction by age 18. - We parents like to think that if we "do everything right," our kids will be mentally and physically healthy with...

Photo by ThoseGuys 199 via Flickr - It's back to school time! - But despite the smiley faces pictured in many back-to-school ads, the start of a new academic year doesn't exactly generate feelings of enthusiasm and excitement in many boys (or their ...

- If your kids always do what they're told, consistently treat others with kindness and never over-react to unintended slights, you can skip this episode. - If not -- WELCOME! Your child is 100% normal,

Co-Parenting - Divorced or Married

Photo by Anna Mayer via Flickr - If you have more than one child, you have sibling stress. - Bickering! Fighting! Maybe even bullying. - Seeing -- and hearing -- our children torment each other is major source of stress and family conflict. -

The shower at Jen's house - Have a boy who hates to shower? - You are not alone! - When a mom recently asked the Building Boys Facebook group, "Anyone else have a teenage boy who hates to shower?" she was quickly inundated with support and sympathy....

Kids want the skill set to empower them to make the right choices. -- Mike Domitrz, founder of The Date Safe Project & father of 4 boys Talking to boys about consent is a must. It's also incredibly challenging and a bit intimidating. Let's face it: if adults were consistently good at consent, there wouldn't be a constant slew of headlines alleging sexual assault and misconduct. The good news about the #MeToo movement is that it's moved the issue of consent into the national conversation. Incre...

Sam Fink, age 12 - Boys can learn a lot by starting and running a business. - Jen's youngest son, Sam, bought his older brother's lawn business two years ago, when the older brother moved to Tennessee (where he has since started another lawn care ser...

Photo by Austin Kirk via Flickr - Does your son have a summer job? - Most boys don't. - In 1978, 60% of teens had summer jobs; today, that number hovers between 35 and 40%. - Boys today are more likely to spend their days playing sports,

How comfortable are you with risk? Do you respond with fear or encouragement when your son wants to try something new? How about when you find him climbing atop your tree house? Or doing flips off a public staircase? Adults' desire to keep boys safe often interferes with boys' ability to take chances and try new things. But "protecting" boys from risky activity can actually cause harm. Boys (and girls) need to try scary, challenging things that are just beyond their current skill set in order t...

Your son is not the only one struggling. According to Dr. Warren Farrell -- and a slew of research -- boys in 63 of the largest developed nations are faring worse than girls. They're doing worse academically. They're falling behind in the workplace. And their physical and mental health is failing as well. In his new book, The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It, Farrell (and his co-author, John Gray) examine the many factors contributing to the boy crisis. They a...

Photo by Matthew Ingram via Flickr - 'Tis the season for sleepaway camp and summer sleepovers! - For some parents and kids, though, the prospect of a night away from home is scary. There are so many ‘what-if’s' that could happen: what if they’re cold...

Welcome to Part 2 of our first Listener Q & A! - This week, Jen & Janet tackle 3 more questions: "What strategies do you use to deal with a sudden increase in lying in pre-teen boys?" "What's the best way to allow young boys to be adventurous/...

When we put out a call for listener questions, you sent us some doozies! - In this, our first-ever Listener Q & A (Part 1), we tackle three of your questions: "I just finished listening to the podcast episode with Amy Lang.

Photo by ASDA NRCS Montana - According to the Oxford Living Dictionaries, self-esteem is "confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect." That's something we want for our kids. We're not talking about participation trophies simply for showi...