Manhood

For President Trump, “Boys will be boys,” is a rallying cry to protect those fragile male beings. For me, the real concern is “Boys will stay boys.” Growing into good ole boys or stunted men. 

We have few viable rituals that help boys transition into healthy young men. Media images, inadvertently or not, help them stumble through destructive cultural stereotypes like the jock, the rebel, the tough guy, the he-man and the clueless buffoon. Without good guidance, they have only fuzzy ideas of what manhood is and fewer ideas of how to achieve it.

The #METOO movement is no threat to a man being a man. In fact, it is a chance to engage in a dialogue about gender that can only be productive for all. Manhood is not something you just have. It’s something you keep growing into with courage and attentiveness.