Talk To Your Boys
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 19
Webinar Recording
View the recording on Vimeo (password: SSALAboys)
Raising boys today can feel overwhelming, but the good news is that the most powerful tool we have is also the simplest: talking to them. In Talk to Your Boys: 16 Conversations to Help Tweens and Teens Grow into Confident, Caring Young Men, journalist Joanna Schroeder and educator Christopher Pepper share practical, compassionate ways to open up meaningful conversations with the boys in our lives. Based on insights from more than 80 boys and leading experts, this book shows us that while talking isn’t always easy, it’s always worth it.
In this webinar, Schroeder and Pepper guide parents and caregivers through real-life strategies for connecting with boys on topics including friendships, emotions, consent, screen time, and more. You’ll come away with tools to spark honest dialogue, strengthen relationships, and help boys grow into thoughtful, empathetic young men.
View the webinar recording on Vimeo and use the password: SSALAboys
The authors have also shared their resource page, which includes links to topics covered throughout the slide presentation.
Additional Resources
Recent articles and interviews on this topic from Christopher Pepper and Joanna Schroeder:
Having difficult talks with your son should happen sooner than you might think, expert says (CNN)
The Epidemic of Male Loneliness (Now What)
Panel: Anxious Girls, Lonely Boys (Aspen Ideas: Health)
Parents Who Do These 11 Things Keep Their Sons Close, Even Long After They Grow Up (Your Tango)
Why Adolescent Boys Are Struggling (Parent Data)
How To Bolster Boys' Social Skills (Teen Health Today)
Want To Understand Boys? Check This Out (Teen Health Today)
Helping Boys Express Masculinity Without Masks (Teen Health Today)
How To Reduce The Toxicity Boys Find Online (Teen Health Today)
Everybody's Talking About The "Boy Crisis." Here's Why You Should Care. (Teen Health Today)
Five Ways To Help Boys Make Friends (Teen Health Today)
The Transformational Power of Health Classes and Boys' Groups (Teen Health Today)
Boy Troubles - And Boy Solutions (Teen Health Today)
Next Gen Men
Materials from the Canadian organization Next Gen Men that the authors think are especially useful:
A great PDF called "10 Ways Parents Can Show Up for Boys' Mental Health"
An excellent online course for parents and educators that helps answer questions like “How can I help boys to connect more meaningfully with each other?”
They run NGM Boys+ Club on Discord, "a safe space for masculine-exploring youth in Grades 7-9 to build connections with like-minded peers."
Coaching Boys Into Men
Futures Without Violence has an excellent program called Coaching Boys Into Men, an "evidence-based violence prevention program that trains and motivates high school coaches to teach their young male athletes in healthy relationship skills, mental health practices, and that violence never equals strength through 12 weekly discussions." Here's a powerful video about the program.
Global Boyhood Initiative
This organization is designed to "support boys aged 4 to 13 and the adults in their lives with the resources they need to raise, teach, coach, and set an example for boys to become men who embrace healthy masculinity and gender equality." Some of their resources:
