In my experienced mom parenting group I was referred to this book as I am the mother of two boys. My boys are still young so some of the information in the book seems far off from where I am at right now but great information to have with me for the upcoming years.
The book is broken down into chapters where the author explains reasons why boys and young men are underachieving and are not motivated.
I found most of the book to be very constructive and an excellent resource. Different warning signs to look for in your children if they are not engaged in school and what it could mean as well as different ways to keep them interested in learning were of particular interest to me. As a mother of a toddler and a baby I was a little bit less interested in the video game sections--although I know one day I will be craving information about video games!
The author writes in a very convincing (science, anecdotes and situations back up all of his claims) and engaging manner. The book is a good and quick read.
Probably the most interesting thing to parents of young boys is the manner in which boys learn and how the school system is not always set up for the way in which their minds work or develop. One thought is that if boys school later they may enjoy it more and also achieve better results. What I really took from this is that we have to ensure that we are giving our boys the opportunity to learn in ways that don't just involve sitting at a desk and reading and writing.
Overall, I would recommend to moms of boys to pick this book up at your library and read it as it does present some very interesting ideas. Although you might not agree with everything that he writes, he presents some really great thinking points.
Here is an excerpt:
http://www.boysadrift.com/excerpt.php
The transition from tropical to tundra has got to be hard. I loved Michigan though and bet you'll love it too. Make sure you have AC wherever you are living for the summer. Though, you might be climatized for heat and humidity having lived where you did. I just about died the first week of our move to MI from heat. I was kind of a mental case at the time with a new baby and moving. Hope you're having a great time!
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