Struggling School-Age Boys

Boys are having more trouble so I think it is good that they are wanting to help them more. Aren't they the ones that are doing more of the getting into trouble during shool years and after and the girls are just sitting there because they aren't as active its proven that boys need to be more active and get rid of their energy

I am a mother of

I have 2 sons and a daughter. There definately is a difference in the way the 2 sexes procees their world. When I noticed that my sons were having difficulty paying attention and applying themselves in school, I increased their physical activity and noticed a corresponding improvement in their school performance. Unfortunately, most schools punish poor academic performance by forbidding participation in extra-curricular activities like sports. Obviously, at least in my experience, this is exactly the opposite of what we need to be doing.

Thank you! Boys do much better when active and allowed to learn by experience instead of sitting and doing mindless reams of homework for NO reason. As a parent of two boys, and looking back at my own experience, I see an enormous bias against how boys learn, shortchanging them in the long term. The preponderance of schools are little more than factories insisting on greater "efficiencies" and volume but to no purpose and little more concern for learning than passing a standardized test. They stifle the love of learning that is so critical to success.

I applaud you Peg....actually I do agree 100%. Boys need to be raised in an active setting. Restrictions on recess, or outside activities is a major blow to the male ego. When I was a kid we had plenty of time to play, which I think defines the healthy character of boy as he grows in to a young man. I think alot of adverse behavior in boys can be pipointed to the lack of dispelling excess energy and thought. An unactive body and overactive mind spells disaster because no boundries of control can be set sitting at a desk. This is why no matter what gender my unborn child is, I will be looking at home schooling, that way I can only blame myself if my childs behavior is unbecoming. I look foward to reading more on your research and thanks for bringing understanding to the parents who care!!!
Much respect, John J Keller Jr.
ripper_1andonly@hotmail.com

I recommend a book entitled the War Against Boys; I read it 10 years ago out of total frustration with the discrepancy I found in our community on how girls are treated over boys. Being a mother of 3 boys I consistently saw nurturing and support for girls while the boys were ignored or treated like the next juvenile delinquent. Johnnyboy9191 has hit it right on. This is the pink elephant in our societal living room and we want to drug them out!!

Why are we trying to coddle boys so much? They are told from day 1 that they are better, smarter, stronger, faster. etc. Yet colleges have had to change the admission criteria to favor boys so that the admissions won't be 60% plus female. And, yes, Johnnyboy9191 there are many more female only schools because women get discriminated against, so we had to go to our own isolated schools to get educated.

I say let the boys deal with the stress like we have to. Why should the boys alwas be catered to? So, they can make 30% more for the same work? So, they can push their responsibilities onto their spouces? Tell your son the TRUTH.." The world does not revolve around you (even if you have a penis)!!!"

I applaud you Peg....actually I do agree 100%. Boys need to be raised in an active setting. Restrictions on recess, or outside activities is a major blow to the male ego. When I was a kid we had plenty of time to play, which I think defines the healthy character of boy as he grows in to a young man. I think alot of adverse behavior in boys can be pipointed to the lack of dispelling excess energy and thought. An unactive body and overactive mind spells disaster because no boundries of control can be set sitting at a desk. This is why no matter what gender my unborn child is, I will be looking at home schooling, that way I can only blame myself if my childs behavior is unbecoming. I look foward to reading more on your research and thanks for bringing understanding to the parents who care!!!
Much respect, John J Keller Jr.
ripper_1andonly@hotmail.com

The article hits on a valid point but I think we need to consider too, that our children are being raised in an ever-increasingly female-favored world. Just look at most commercials on television. The male is generally portrayed as an incompetent boob while the female tends to solve most of the problems. Such a constant message eventually gets driven home into the heads of children and the girls begin to feel much more confident and empowered while the boys tend to feel discouraged and disengaged. Presently, the playing field is not balanced and we just are beginning to see the fall-out.

As a teacher, I have seen this change and am very aware of the problem facing boys. Yet, our country is always being compared with other parts of the world. Both boys and girls score very high in many parts of the world but our country seems to be falling behind the gap. Are children in other countries facing this problem too? How do there boys handle the information "overload" that takes place each day? Just a thought...

As a mother of 3 boys, I highly recommend a book entitled The War Against Boys. It showcases studies and research that show policies in our society that consistently favor the famale of our species. I read it about 10 years ago being totally frustrated with the discrepancies I saw regarding the way girls were being treated and nurtured by our school system while boys were at the very least being ignored and at the most being denigrated down to neanderthals and juvenile delinquents. Disciplinary actions were much harder for the boys than the girls and this extends to the police department in our community. Girls get off with a slap on the wrist while the boys are treated like the next juvenile delinquent or serial rapist. Add to that a lot of single mothers who never had brothers or other male family members and don't know that, yes, boys are different from girls. I heard from these mothers time and again that they just could handle their sons. Boys learn and play differently and are more hands on than girls and we expect them to sit on their hands all day and absorb education. I agree with most of what Wick24 has to say. Boys need to be given the respect and admiration due them - not more drugs and therapy!

Needless to say we have moved from that community and our children, now grown, have chosen to live elsewhere as well.

I would also add, along with what the NO Child Left Behind policies have created, that the lack of respect and discipline most certainly comes from the lack of support, ect. from home. It' s very diffiicult to get past this generation's slogan: IT'S NOT MY FAULT, IT'S... These kids are quick to point the finger at somebody else, and when clearly wrong, Mom and Dad are ready to back them no matter what, even if their kid is wrong.

nothing will be done to help boys because it is politically incorrect to help males ! women have 30 women only colleges men have 3....is that equality..?

Why are we are looking at how to give boys an advantage? They are told from day 1 that they are smarter, stronger, faster, better, etc. So, why are we trying to coddle them more??? So they can make 30% more than their socially adjusted sister? Boys might be able to handle many situations better if parents stop trying to mold the world to them... tell them to "tough it out" like the girls have to.

Two years ago I was reading about how colleges were changing admission requirements to favor boys since they were admitting close to 60% females. Why do we keep bending over backwards for boys/men and then expect them to deal with life after being treated "special". Stress or no stress, I think boys just need to get a grip and understand that they are not king and never will be... they need to work just as hard as girls/women who will be paid 67% as much (accoring to the latest stats).

Children today are growing up in a harried world. There is no time for sharing. Ballgames and ballet and sports are not really sharing within the family home. That is where the problem lies. Stress at home, stress at school, kids pick up on this and they are confused. Don't know how to act, can't concentrate or focus because that takes time. Time is short. Hurry up and learn. Parents expect the schools to educate and also correct behavorial problelms so when the kids come home at the end of the day they are less of a problem to stressed parents. Like it or not, when two parents work, the end of the day is really short on patience and love. Two factors that really are needed more of at home. Not on the ballfield or ballet stage. Having worked 17 years in elementary I have seen many changes. Raised two children of my own. Know what happens. But I always made time to listen and offer what I could. Was always available for them. Or atleast tried to be. Raising children will always be a challenge to schools and parents. It is a package deal. We have to just do the best we can and try not to add to the pressures already in place.

If a boy is full of energy he is punished and the parents have to take their boy to the Doctor who will most certainly determine the boy has ADHD they then put the boy on a narcotic (the prescription can not be called in, it has to be picked up in person) and the list of side effects always include suicidal tendencies. It takes more and more of this narcotic for you son to feel normal or it has to change to a new and more expensive drug.
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Worst of all the boys also believe that there is something wrong with them and cannot cope with out there medicine not even at sports. They don???t learn to deal with the hand dealt them in life and just become mentally handicapped and people wonder what is happening?

I am a high school history teacher, and I would STRONGLY disagree that the curriculum is part of the problem our young males are facing. These kids aren't even close to being prepared when they enter high school, and I certianly would say that a large problem is that they have become more apathetic towards there work, and we simply just push them along as per the "NO Child left behind" mandate. It's almost sad.

Onceamom speaks much truth...let's slow down and figure out our priorities. Is it money and success that is important or is helping our kids growup and make good choices? I know I didn't grow up with alot, but my mom stayed home and was there for me. Single parents can't stay home, and they are doing the best the can, but married parents, do you really need the large home, SUV or luxury car? Just something to think about....

I don't see how this applies to males struggling? Females go through the same thing.

Horribly written. He/she did not even develop the main idea, which was ABOUT BOYS struggling specifically. Besides that, this is just a load of BS.