ON BOYS Podcast

By Janet Allison, Jennifer LW Fink

Education Kids & Family

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Real Talk about Parenting, Teaching, and Reaching Tomorrow’s Men

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Sex Ed for Neurodiverse Kids

11.30.2023

Neurodiverse kids need comprehensive sex education too. “It’s a fundamental human right to have this information – & so important to their health & safety,” says Amy Lang, creator of Birds + Bees + Kids, a fantastic resource for parents, ...

ON BOYS Podcast episodes:

11.30.2023 Sex Ed for Neurodiverse Kids Neurodiverse kids need comprehensive sex education too. “It’s a fundamental human right to have this information – & so important to their health & safety,” says Amy Lang, creator of Birds + Bees + Kids, a fantastic resource for parents, ...
11.23.2023 Christopher Pepper Discusses Health Education and Boys Health education varies greatly from place to place. Some boys receive great, age-appropriate, inclusive health education at school. Others do not. “It’s pretty inconsistent,” says Christopher Pepper, a health educator who currently teaches in the San Francisco Unified School District ...
11.16.2023 Listener Q & A: Punishment, Teenage Boys, & Letting Go How do you make space for a teenage boy to make his own mistakes? Photo by olia danilevich via Pexels Especially when said teenager is frustrating, annoying, and contributing to family chaos? Sandra said:Teenager years are frustrating — wanting to ...
11.10.2023 Autonomy-Supportive Parenting Have you heard of autonomy-supportive parenting? Essentially, it’s the opposite of helicopter parenting. It’s a parenting style that allows, supports, and encourages kids to make decisions and take action. And unlike helicopter parenting, which demands near-constant parental activity, autonomy-supportive parenting ...
11.02.2023 AnneMoss Rogers on Suicide Prevention & Struggling Teens If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for help in the United States. Call 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255). The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is open 24 hours ...
10.26.2023 Supporting LGBTQ+ Kids Supporting LGBTQ+ kids helps them become healthy adults. Jo Langford is a father, therapist, and author of The Pride Guide: A Guide to Social and Sexual health for LGBTQ Youth and Spare Me “The Talk!” (for both boy-identified and girl-identified ...
10.19.2023 Parenting for Gender Equity Gender equity begins at home. Policies matter, of course, but not as much as parenting. Think about that for a moment. Parents need to think & talk about gender stereotypes and expectations because those stereotypes and expectations affect our parenting, ...
10.12.2023 Dr. Friendtastic on Boys & Friendship Boys are twice as likely as girls to be friendless in middle school. And by adulthood, 1 in 5 men say they don’t have any close friends. Friendship matters for guys too – but clearly, boys face some unique challenges. ...
10.05.2023 Parenting Beyond Power with Jen Lumanlan Jen Lumanlan, author of Parenting Beyond Power: How to Use Connection & Collaboration to Transform Your Family, believes there’s a direct link between parenting and social justice. “The way that we raise our children — the daily interactions that we ...
09.28.2023 Devorah Heitner on Growing Up in Public Our boys are growing up in public. Between social media, online monitoring, and geo-tracking, our kids’ lives are public in a way ours never were when we were young. Helping kids manage this digital landscape can be a challenge for ...
09.21.2023 Calm the Chaos: Parenting Challenging Kids How do you calm the chaos in your household? Big emotions, power struggles, and challenging behaviors can create (& feed!) chaos, affecting the entire family. And it’s next to impossible for anyone to operate at their best in a constant ...
09.14.2023 Lisa Damour on The Emotional Lives of Teens Dr. Lisa Damour is our go-to expert regarding the emotional lives of teens. She is a psychologist & author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, and although her previous two books were a deep ...
09.07.2023 Parenting During Crisis & Catastrophe Crisis and catastrophe no longer seem so rare. There were 51 school shootings that resulted in injury or death in 2022. Wildfires are destroying communities and affecting air quality. Hurricanes, heat, infectious disease (malaria is back in the U.S & ...
08.31.2023 Masculinity, Fatherhood, & Man Up What do college students think about masculinity? About fatherhood? About the trauma & violence faced by men in society? Kevin Roy, a family science professor at the University of Maryland (& father of 3 sons), encourages his students to discuss ...
08.17.2023 Melinda Wenner Moyer: Raising Boys Who Aren’t Assholes You don’t want to raise an asshole. None of us do! Melinda Wenner Moyer, a science journalist, author, and mom of two, says that science can show us the way. In 2021, she published How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t ...
08.17.2023 Boys, Babies, & Breastfeeding What do boys need to know about birth, babies, and breastfeeding? A lot more than we’re currently teaching them. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), 83.2% infants born in 2019 (the last year for which ...
08.10.2023 Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones Raising Empowered Athletes, by former D1 athlete Kirsten Jones, is the book parents need to navigate today’s youth sports culture. Kids do not need to begin formal sports instruction in preschool, and they don’t need to specialize in a single ...
08.03.2023 Phyllis Fagell Discusses Middle School Superpowers Middle school students are “superheroes in the making,” says Phyllis Fagell, a school counselor, mom, and author of Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times. If that sounds crazy to you, consider this: middle schoolers and superheroes “both ...
07.27.2023 Body Image, Eating Disorders, & Boys Body image concerns and eating disorders affect boys too. As many as 75% of adolescent boys are dissatisfied with their bodies. 3% are now using steroids in an attempt to alter their bodies, 7% use supplements, and a 2019 study ...
07.20.2023 How to Be an Unflustered Mom Yes, you can be an unflustered mom. Identifying your anxiety style is the first step, says Amber Trueblood, a mom of four boys (currently ages 10, 12, 14, & 15) and author of The Unflustered Mom: How Understanding the Five ...
07.13.2023 Managing Medical Expenses Medical expenses are a part of life. (Particularly if you live in the United States!) Figuring out how to budget and pay for well-child checks, sports physicals, ER and urgent care visits, and recommended screenings is confusing and overwhelming. Health ...
07.06.2023 Why Now is the Best Time to Raise Boys (w Michael Reichert) Now is the best time to raise boys, says psychologist Michael Reichert, founding director of the Center for the Study of Boys’ & Girls’ Lives, author of How to Raise a Boy, and co-author of Equimundo’s recent State of American ...
06.29.2023 Sue Atkins Tackles Common Parenting Questions Sue Atkins encourages parents to slow down, relax, & learn from their children. “We are rushing through life,” says the UK parenting guru.. “We rush everything — we rush our children to eat their breakfast, to do their shoes up, ...
06.22.2023 “Whole Child, Whole Life” w Stephanie Malia Krauss The Whole Child, Whole Life approach can help kids thrive. Stephanie Malia Krauss, a mom of two boys and an author with a background in education and social work, wrote Whole Child, Whole life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, ...
06.15.2023 Nonverbal Communication with Boys Want to connect with boys? Pay attention to your nonverbal communication. Tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, and even our breathing influence the perception of our words and messages, says Michael Grinder, who’s known as the “father of nonverbal ...
06.08.2023 Gemma Gaudette Talks About Raising Boys Gemma Gaudette says “we don’t give boys enough credit.” Gemma, host of Idaho Matters & a mom of two sons (currently ages 11 & 15), knows (from personal experience!) that boys can be dramatic & sensitive, even though society has ...
06.01.2023 Advanced Parenting with Dr. Kelly Fradin Advanced parenting may involve guiding a child through a mental health crisis. Or parenting a child with a chronic medical condition. Or both. It’s what parents must do when a child’s needs go beyond basic feeding, sheltering, loving, and nurturing. ...
05.25.2023 Puberty, Perimenopause, & Midlife Parenting Midlife parenting often means navigating puberty and perimenopause at the same time. The average age of first parenthood has increased in recent years, so many moms now find themselves going thru perimenopause around the same time their kids hit puberty, ...
05.18.2023 What Middle School Boys Need Middle school — and ages 11 to 14 — is “a time like no other!” It’s a time when significant biological, neurological and emotional changes are happening simultaneously. Middle school boys can be a confusing mix. They want to be ...
05.11.2023 Celebrating Moms on Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is a day to honor the sacrifices mothers make for their children. At least, that was the intent of Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States This year, we’re also celebrating the many ways ...
05.04.2023 Boys in School Task Force Division 51 of the American Psychological Association launched a Task Force on Boys in School in 2020. Finally! Boys do worse in school, on average, than girls. Boys are more likely to be disciplined, suspended, or expelled than girls — ...
04.27.2023 The New Masculinity The New Masculinity: A Roadmap for a 21st Century Definition of Manhood, by Alex Manley, can help boys create their own unique definition of what it means to be a man. With a last name like Manley, it was impossible ...
04.20.2023 Fostering Connection to Build Social & Emotional Health Fostering Connection: Building Social and Emotional Health in Children and Teens is the latest book by Dr. Tish Taylor, a child psychologist with more than 25 years of experience. Fostering connection is also key to boys’ social, emotional, and overall ...
04.13.2023 Empowering Boys and Dyslexic Learners Empowering boys and dyslexic learners could positively change so many lives. Jason Kantor, a New York-based homeschool tutor who frequently works with boys and dyslexic learners, believes it’s important to identify kids’ strengths and build them up, so they develop ...
04.06.2023 Building Boys in a World That Misunderstands Males Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males is Jen’s second book. Janet says it contains “wise words from a mom who has successfully raised four boys,” “wise words from an author who knows how to weave ...
03.30.2023 How to Build Your Village You can build your village, says Florence Ann Romano. Most of us have heard that “it takes a village” to help children and adults thrive. We also want to know where $%@ the village went! Parenting today — often, far ...
03.23.2023 Talking to Tween & Teen Boys Jonathon Reed has a lot of experience talking to tween & teen boys. As a program manager with NextGenMen, a Canadian organization dedicated to changing how the world sees, acts and thinks about masculinity, Reed frequently works with boys in ...
03.18.2023 Michael Gurian - Raising Boys When Michael Gurian published The Wonder of Boys in 1996, there "wasn't any national consciousness about boys' issues," he says. A quarter century later, there are dozens of books about boys, and parents, educators, and politicians alike are realizing that ...
03.16.2023 Keeping Boys Safe Keeping boys safe is a top-of-mind concern for parents. For good reason. Injury is the leading cause of death for people ages 1-44 – especially for children.For kids ages 1-14 in the U.S., injuries cause more deaths than the next ...
03.09.2023 Loving Someone With Suicidal Thoughts If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for help in the United States. Call 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255). The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is open 24 hours ...
03.02.2023 More Wisdom from Teacher Tom Kids “haven’t changed at all” during the 20+ years Teacher Tom has been working with young children, he says. Parents have, though. And so has society. There’s an increased concern for safety and academic performance, and a lot of anxiety ...
02.23.2023 Parental Accommodation & ADHD Parental accommodation can limit the skill development of kids with (and without) ADHD. Many boys with ADHD or other executive function challenges struggle despite diagnosis, treatment, and well-intended help — in part because they and their family have received less-than-stellar ...
02.16.2023 Whole Child Sports: Alternative to Toxic Youth Sports Culture Whole child sports emphasizes wholesome, safe, and developmentally appropriate athletic experiences for kids. It is the antithesis of the toxic, highly competitive youth sports culture that’s unfortunately become the norm here in the United States. Scott Lancaster, a sports performance ...
02.09.2023 Lads Need Dads with Sonia Shaljean Lads need dads, says Sonia Shaljean, director of the UK-based organization Lads Need Dads, one of the only projects in the country working to proactively address the impact of the absent father on boys aged 11-15. Many boys with absent ...
02.02.2023 Teen Boys’ Emotional Lives Teen boys mystify (and frustrate) their parents. Especially their moms. But there’s a lot going on behind and beneath that sometimes stony exterior. Teen boys are not devoid of emotions; in fact, they devote a lot of time and attention ...
01.26.2023 Damon Brown Discusses Raising Boys Damon Brown is a journalist, author, entrepreneur, and primary caregiver for his two young sons, ages 6 and 9. But from his earliest days of parenting, people assumed he was simply “helping” his wife. “I’d put on the Baby Bjorn ...
01.19.2023 Listener Q & A: Supporting Sibling Relationships, Finding Common Ground & More How do you support sibling relationships and build brother-sister bonds? Or connect with a tween son? Photo by Beatnik Photos via Flickr Those are just a few of the questions Jen & Janet tackle in 2023’s first listener Q & ...
01.12.2023 Simplicity Parenting w Kim John Payne Simplicity parenting, in many ways, is the antithesis of modern parenting. Simplicity parenting prioritizes a balanced schedule, predictable rhythm, and decluttered, information-filtered family environment, while most modern families rush from one activity to the next and live with crammed-full schedules ...
01.05.2023 Parenting “Spicy” Boys “Spicy” boys are those who express themselves in big and loud ways, feel things intensely, and have energy to spare, says Mary Van Geffen, a popular Instagrammer and parent coach for Spicy Ones. Spicy kids “have so much loyalty toward ...
12.29.2022 ON BOYS Most Popular Episode of 2022 Our February 10 conversation with Dr. Mona Delahooke about her new book, Brain-Body Parenting:How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids, is ON BOYS’ Most Popular Episode of 2022. And no wonder: The Center for Childhood Development ...

Older episodes

ON BOYS Podcast

What's ON BOYS Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

ON BOYS Podcast episodes:

Sex Ed for Neurodiverse Kids

Christopher Pepper Discusses Health Education and Boys

Listener Q & A: Punishment, Teenage Boys, & Letting Go

Autonomy-Supportive Parenting

AnneMoss Rogers on Suicide Prevention & Struggling Teens

Supporting LGBTQ+ Kids

Parenting for Gender Equity

Dr. Friendtastic on Boys & Friendship

Parenting Beyond Power with Jen Lumanlan

Devorah Heitner on Growing Up in Public

Calm the Chaos: Parenting Challenging Kids

Lisa Damour on The Emotional Lives of Teens

Parenting During Crisis & Catastrophe

Masculinity, Fatherhood, & Man Up

Melinda Wenner Moyer: Raising Boys Who Aren’t Assholes

Boys, Babies, & Breastfeeding

Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones

Phyllis Fagell Discusses Middle School Superpowers

Body Image, Eating Disorders, & Boys

How to Be an Unflustered Mom

Managing Medical Expenses

Why Now is the Best Time to Raise Boys (w Michael Reichert)

Sue Atkins Tackles Common Parenting Questions

“Whole Child, Whole Life” w Stephanie Malia Krauss

Nonverbal Communication with Boys

Gemma Gaudette Talks About Raising Boys

Advanced Parenting with Dr. Kelly Fradin

Puberty, Perimenopause, & Midlife Parenting

What Middle School Boys Need

Celebrating Moms on Mother’s Day

Boys in School Task Force

The New Masculinity

Fostering Connection to Build Social & Emotional Health

Empowering Boys and Dyslexic Learners

Building Boys in a World That Misunderstands Males

How to Build Your Village

Talking to Tween & Teen Boys

Michael Gurian - Raising Boys

Keeping Boys Safe

Loving Someone With Suicidal Thoughts

More Wisdom from Teacher Tom

Parental Accommodation & ADHD

Whole Child Sports: Alternative to Toxic Youth Sports Culture

Lads Need Dads with Sonia Shaljean

Teen Boys’ Emotional Lives

Damon Brown Discusses Raising Boys

Listener Q & A: Supporting Sibling Relationships, Finding Common Ground & More

Simplicity Parenting w Kim John Payne

Parenting “Spicy” Boys

ON BOYS Most Popular Episode of 2022