Raising Boys in the 21st Century: Completely Updated and Revised by Steve Biddulph

Raising Boys in the 21st Century: Completely Updated and Revised by Steve Biddulph is an expanded edition of a widely read parenting title, refreshed with around 20% new material. It offers practical, direct guidance designed to help parents recognise the different stages of boyhood and support boys as they grow into happy, confident and kind young men.

Biddulph sets out the view that boys benefit from being parented differently from girls, reflecting differences in psychological and physical make-up. He examines ways home life, society and education can let boys down, and connects these experiences with later difficulties in adulthood. Alongside an emphasis on fathers spending more time teaching boys about manhood, the updated content also includes guidance for mothers and single mothers raising baby boys.

Key details

• Author: Steve Biddulph
• Completely updated and revised edition
• Expanded with around 20% new material
• Parenting book focused on raising boys
• Discusses stages of boyhood and the role of family, society and education

Synopsis

This extended edition considers new research into what helps boys and what harms them, presenting advice grounded in real-life situations, humour and thought-provoking insights. It explores questions such as whether ADHD may be caused by stress in the first year of life, and whether boys should begin school later than girls.

It also discusses the importance of letting boys cry, and how crying may help avoid violence, suicide and risky behaviour. Further sections cover two newly identified stages of boyhood, support for single mothers raising sons, choosing a sport that does more good than harm, binge drinking, and what science suggests about teenage boys and driving, including how to keep sons safe.