Category Archives: Guests

Dr. Friendtastic on Boys & Friendship



Powered by RedCircle 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. “Boys & men have special challenges because of the image of how … Continue reading Dr. Friendtastic on Boys & Friendship


Parenting Beyond Power with Jen Lumanlan



Powered by RedCircle 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 have with them that seem like they’re about discipline — actually support … Continue reading Parenting Beyond Power with Jen Lumanlan


Devorah Heitner on Growing Up in Public



Powered by RedCircle 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 parents and adults who often worry and frequently ignore the upsides of … Continue reading Devorah Heitner on Growing Up in Public


Lisa Damour on The Emotional Lives of Teens



Powered by RedCircle 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 dive into the world of girls, she gets boys. Consider this sentence: … Continue reading Lisa Damour on The Emotional Lives of Teens


Parenting During Crisis & Catastrophe



Powered by RedCircle 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 & COVID-19 infections are rising), increasing rates of depression and suicide…it’s a lot. … Continue reading Parenting During Crisis & Catastrophe


Masculinity, Fatherhood, & Man Up



Powered by RedCircle 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 these topics (& more) in his popular class, “Man Up.” “Young women come … Continue reading Masculinity, Fatherhood, & Man Up


Melinda Wenner Moyer: Raising Boys Who Aren’t Assholes



Powered by RedCircle 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 Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting – from Tots to Teens. Melinda … Continue reading Melinda Wenner Moyer: Raising Boys Who Aren’t Assholes


Boys, Babies, & Breastfeeding



Powered by RedCircle 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 data is available) started out receiving some breast milk, and 78.6% were … Continue reading Boys, Babies, & Breastfeeding


Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones



Powered by RedCircle 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 sport in order to succeed or excel, Kirsten says. In fact, she … Continue reading Raising Empowered Athletes w Kirsten Jones


Phyllis Fagell Discusses Middle School Superpowers



Powered by RedCircle 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 get catapulted out of a world they know and sent on a … Continue reading Phyllis Fagell Discusses Middle School Superpowers