
7 Insights From Social Science on Raising a Boy
It’s tempting to believe that boys are not “hardwired” to care about feelings or friendship. But the research suggests baby boys are just as attuned to emotions and intimacy as baby girls.
It’s tempting to believe that boys are not “hardwired” to care about feelings or friendship. But the research suggests baby boys are just as attuned to emotions and intimacy as baby girls.
“What would you say if I told you that approximately 85 percent of boys feel this way about a friend during their teen years?”
Boys in early adolescence would speak candidly about those friendships to Dr. Way, acknowledging the importance of having a best friend who was repository and guard for their most private feelings.
Author Niobe Way and psychiatrist Josh Weiner discuss why relationships between boys tend to break down in adolescence, despite the fact that many long for close friendships.
“If you can’t turn to someone in your life and say how you are really feeling, then you’re only going to end up hurting yourself somehow down the road.”
They say that sharing secrets is vital for their mental health, yet they struggle to keep such friendships as pressures to “man up” intensify.