Boys Should Be Boys
Dr. Meg Meeker
Regnery Publishing
Jan 4th, 2022
Boys Should Be Boys by Dr. Meg Meeker uses her own experiences to enable today’s boys to become the mature, confident, and thoughtful men of tomorrow. Boys Should Be Boys talks about how boys can be rambunctious, adventurous, and curious, climbing trees, building forts, playing tackle football, and pushing their growing bodies to the limit as part of the rite of passage into manhood. She feels that today, boys face an increasingly hostile world that doesn’t value the high-spirited, magical nature of boys. In a collective call to let our boys be boys, Dr. Meg Meeker explores the secrets to boyhood.
Elise Cooper: Why did you write the book?
Dr. Meg Meeker: I wanted to put it out there how different they are. Fundamentally there are differences between girls and boys. Fundamentally we should not squash any dimension of the boys. They are being squashed, while girls are not. I am a child advocate and understand how they are wired very differently.
EC: What are the differences?
MM: When boys are younger, they are much more active. My son jumped over couches and chairs, something I had never experienced with three daughters. As a mother I was close to my son in a very different way. With my daughters we had a lot of conversations and talked about very personal matters. My son would hold things close to the vest until he became an adult. I did not know what was going on in his heart and mind all the time.
EC: How do you respond to those who say you are stereotyping and generalizing boys?
MM: Boys’ personalities and behavior are wide and broad. Some boys are sensitive and not into sports. I was talking about parenting my son versus parenting my daughters. This is my personal experience.
EC: In the book, did you think you put boys into a box?
MM: The reason I did that is to try to impress upon parents that boys are quite different than girls. Parents should embrace the differences between boys and girls. Even in the broad sense that boys are many personalities and interests, they are quite different than girls. Look at brain development, pubertal development, and how boys are more visionally more oriented than girls. Therefore, they like video games more than girls, while girls are on social media more.
EC: Should boys act in a certain way?
MM: In some ways boys are more sensitive than girls, particularly in high school. They not encouraged to show it. They have social differences. Boys tend to hide their relationships and feelings. Boys should embrace boyhood. Their imagination is different and figure out a pecking order. Sometimes society tries to dampen boyhood. The intimate relationships are the security in a boy’s life. They are critically important.
EC: Are you saying there are a lot of don’ts?
MM: Don’t be aggressive, don’t jump over things, don’t be who you are. This is because our culture tries to put boys into boxes. Boys are discouraged from being masculine because society says that masculinity is harmful. The more women were elevated the more men are put down. We are encouraging women to fully express who they are but are not doing that with boys. It feels like women cannot be elevated unless men are degraded.
EC: What do you want readers to get out of your book?
MM: To let boys be boys regardless of personality type. Boys should not be demeaned because women are elevated.
THANK YOU!!
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