Readers comment

`For anyone who's read around current child development and parenting there'll be nothing startling in Sue Palmer's look at boys but what she has here is a good overview of what is happening and how we might be able to change some of the negative effects on boys in the 21st century.

Palmer's fixes include warm and firm parenting in the first 3 years with little or no childcare. No formal learning before the age of 7 with an emphasis on free play in kindergartens instead. No tv in the first 3 years with limited screen time after that and a tightening up on the marketing to children through all forms of media. Good mentoring in the teenage years from strong male figures. Ready access to outdoor physical activity for boys of all ages.

Like Biddolph's Raising Boys she sees the key influences on boys early years as being the mother, with fathers and then other male role models taking over in later childhood and then teens. This isn't to negate the place of either parent at any stage though but working with the natural inclinations of boys.

As a feminist I'd say she's harsh at times on feminists but over all her suggestions and research is what many would describe as good old common sense.

I'd like to send this book to all policy makers and politicians in the hope that some changes can happen.'

What’s happening to boys? At home, they sprawl before a flickering screen, lost in a solitary, sedentary fantasy world; at school, the choice of role seems limited to nerd or thug, bullied or bullying. By the time they reach their teens, the chances of depression, self-harm, drug or alcohol abuse grow each year. In such an environment, raising boys has never been more diffcult.

For the sake of their sons, parents need to know the facts about how boys develop and how best to protect them from the damaging effects of modern life. For the sake of our future, we all need to recognise the problems of 21st century boys, and to support parents in stemming thhe growing tide of detachment and disaffection.

In this hugely important book, Sue Palmer assesses the issues currently confronting boys from birth to when they leave school, and explains how we can all help to ensure they emerge as healthy, normal adults. Based on the latest research from around the world, 21st Century Boys provides parents, teachers and others with a clear pathway to bringing up boys