The Complete Parenting Collection. Steve Biddulph

affect how she acts towards her child.

      As if that wasn’t enough, her feelings about this baby’s father also complicate the picture. As he grows up, does he look like his father? Does that make her love him more? If she is no longer with his father, or if there are problems, this can colour her feelings, too. A woman may be very aware of all these feelings, or this entire process might be totally unconscious.

      How we care for our baby boys

      All our earlier attitudes and beliefs about males will be reflected in our everyday care for our boys – each time we rush to help, or we hold back in order to let them do it for themselves; each time we encourage or discourage them; each time we cuddle them warmly or frown at them and walk away. All our responses arise from our internal attitudes towards having a baby – and having a male baby.

      It’s a big help if you adopt a curious attitude – of wanting to learn and understand about a boy’s world. As a woman, you cannot know what it’s like to be in a male body. If you didn’t have brothers (or a dad who was involved), then you have to get more information to find out what is normal in boys. It’s good to be able to ask your partner or male friends for information. Sometimes you just need practical knowledge.

      Mums help with learning about the opposite sex

      A mother teaches a boy a great deal about life and love. She is invaluable for helping him gain confidence with the opposite sex. She is his ‘first love’, and needs to be tender, respectful and playful, without wanting to own or dominate his world. As he gets to school age, she encourages him, helps him make friends, and gives him clues about how to get on well with girls.

      Many boys and girls have trouble getting along with the opposite sex, as do many men and women. A mother can make sure her son is not like this, she can help him to relax around girls and women. She can teach him what girls like – they love a boy who can converse, who has a sense of humour, who is considerate, who has his own ideas and opinions, but is interested in theirs, and so on. She can even alert him to the fact that girls can sometimes be mean or thoughtless – that girls are no saints, either.

      As mentioned, the opposite-sex parent often holds the key to self-esteem for a growing child. Teenage daughters need to have their image of themselves as intelligent and interesting people boosted by their father. He can also teach them to change a wheel, fix a computer or catch fish. A son whose mother enjoys him as a companion learns that he can be friends with girls comfortably in the years from five to fifteen. The pressure to pair up and prove oneself sexually is taken away, and he can move more naturally through friendship to a deeper connection with a girl when he is ready.

      Promoting a good self-image

      Many boys become painfully awkward by the time they are in secondary school. They seem ashamed of being male, big and full of hormones. (The media often portrays males as rapists, murderers, or inadequate fools, so a boy may easily feel quite bad about himself as a masculine being.)

      Mothers can do a lot to overcome this. I’ve heard beautiful comments from mothers to their sons: telling them from the age of about ten and upwards, ‘Wow, you are a great looking guy!’ when they try on their new clothes; or, ‘The girl who marries you is going to be so lucky’ when they do a good job around the house; and ‘I really enjoy your company’, ‘You’re interesting to talk to’, and ‘You have a really great sense of humour’. From these comments, the boy learns what girls like, and becomes more able to approach them in a relaxed and equal way.

       STORIES FROM THE HEART

      LETTER FROM A MOTHER

      Dear Steve,

      Reading Raising Boys, I wanted to add some things I feel so strongly about.

      To all the mothers out there – boys are different. So persevere in getting to understand and know them. Don’t, whatever you do, give up. Or become resigned and join the anti-boy group, with their weak jokes and tales of woe and ‘What can I do?’ sort of attitudes. There is a meeting point between mothers and sons. It’s up to you. It may not be obvious, it may take time and a number of attempts. Struggle is not a sign of failure, but of something new being born. Look for the good in your son. You will find it.

      Boys have tender feelings, and mothers have an essential part in keeping the child whole. Seeing how affectionate they can be at times makes you love them so much more. Give them a chance to play with and help younger children, and to look after animals. See how loving they can be.

      Share your son’s passions. Tom (my nine-year-old) and I have a wintertime ritual. On a Saturday afternoon we go to the second half of the local football game (which is about the right amount of time for us) and get in for free. We generally sit down by the fence, close enough to feel the earth and air move as the players surge past. Tom takes great pleasure in telling me who the players are and the rules, and I notice he often tells me the details he knows will interest me, like something about their lives outside football! The action is great, so vigorous and determined. The atmosphere at the historic ground is friendly and excited, a bubble of warmth on a cold afternoon. So different to watching it on the telly! It’s an urban adventure.

      Boys often need help in connecting with things – a piece of work at school, with using the library, computers, newspapers, encyclopedias. Help them to organise their homework, partition the task into ‘do-able’ chunks, set realistic goals and help them to get there. Make the task smaller so they can relate to it, so they don’t feel overwhelmed and give up. At the same time, don’t take over – make sure they have the joy of their own achievement.

      Expand your boys’ awareness, By walking, talking, noticing things, collecting things; by seeing how a tree changes with the seasons, or how a building project is developing. Show them how food happens – planning the purchases, choosing the fruit, the preparation and enjoyment of new foods. Involve them in planning family events and holidays. Show them how to combine their interests with those of others when planning.

      Make sure they get enough sleep and a balance of social and quiet time. This is basic but critical. Embrace bedtime rituals, stories, cuddles, tickling on the back, whatever, so they feel safe, loved and at peace. A shared repertoire of favourite stories is invaluable.

      Finally, you can really help your sons by supporting their relationship with their father. Fathers may not foresee and plan in the way you do, and this may limit their opportunities to what is nearest at hand. Gentle reminders can be appreciated. Put good men in the path of your son – a groovy music teacher, a valued handyman, a friend’s brother. Speak to them about good men, their qualities, and what you notice about how they act in different situations.

      Recall their past – tell them what beautiful babies they were, what their births meant to you, what rays of sunshine they are in your life.

      A deep harmony … a beautiful boy.

       With warm wishes

       JT

       PRACTICAL HELP

      LITTLE BOYS’ BODIES

      Penises and testicles are a bit of a mystery to mothers. Here are a doctor’s answers to some questions mothers commonly ask:

      Q: Should my son have two testicles visible?

      A: By the time of the ‘six-week check’ that all babies should get from the Child Health sister or doctor, both testicles should be able to be seen.

      Q: Is it okay to touch his penis to wash it?

      A: