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What is the boy crisis?

It's a crisis of education. Worldwide, boys are 50 percent less likely than girls to meet basic proficiency in reading, math, and science.

It's a crisis of mental health. ADHD is on the rise. And as boys become young men, their suicide rates go from equal to girls to six times that of young women.

It's a crisis of fathering. Boys are growing up with less-involved fathers and are more likely to drop out of school, drink, do drugs, become delinquent, and end up in prison.

It's a crisis of purpose. Boys' old sense of purpose-being a warrior, a leader, or a sole breadwinner-are fading. Many bright boys are experiencing a "purpose void," feeling alienated, withdrawn, and addicted to immediate gratification.

So, what is The Boy Crisis? A comprehensive blueprint for what parents, teachers, and policymakers can do to help our sons become happier, healthier men, and fathers and leaders worthy of our respect.

Contents:

Introduction

My Personal Journey into The Boy Crisis

PART I: Is There Really a Boy Crisis?

1 The Crisis of Our Sons' Mental Health

2 The Crisis of Our Sons' Physical Health

3 The Crisis of Our Sons' Economic Health

4 The Crisis of Our Sons' Education

5 The Crisis of Our Sons Worldwide

6 Why Are We So Blind to the Boy Crisis?

PART II: Why the Boy Crisis Isn't Your Fault

7 The Boy Crisis: A Problem Created by a Solution

PART III: The Purpose Void

8 The Path-to-Purpose Generation Gap

The Power of Purpose

"I never thought you cared enough to ask."

Your Son's Unconscious Wisdom
Can a "Real Man" Transition from Provider-Protector to Nurturer-Connector?

9 The "Hero Paradox": Value Yourself by Not Valuing Yourself

A Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Sirens of Social Bribes

Social bribes: Mom, men, the media, the military

The Catch-22 of Your Son-as-Hero

10 Why Do More Marriages Fail in Countries That Succeed?

The father's catch-22
The Era of the Multi-Option Mom and the No-Option Dad
How Did Our Daughters Avoid the Purpose Void?
"Sorry, It's a Boy"

11 How Raising Our Sons Successfully in the Past Differs from Raising Our Sons Successfully for Their Future

Making Money Versus Making a Difference
How to Guide Different Boys Toward Different Senses of Purpose
Our Sons' New Sense of Purpose: The Hero's Journey to Emotional Intelligence
Son-Dropping

12 Raising a Balanced Son in an Out-of-Balance World

What Happened to Pick-Up Team Sports?
Helping Your Son Find His "Edge"
Filling Your Son's Purpose Void: Your Son as Hero

PART IV: Dad-Deprived Boys vs. Dad-Enriched Boys

13 Dad-Deprived Boys

Boys Who Hurt, Hurt Us

The Lost Boys: Mass shooters
ISIS: A gang of dad-deprived boys?

Bio Dad: The Discovery of the Dad Brain
Careers Are for Now; Children Are Forever
The Absence of Dad Creates the Presence of Government

14 Why Are Dads So Important?

Let Me Count the Ways

15 Rediscovering Dad

The Generation of the Dad Rich Versus the Dad Poor
When Does Dad Begin to Matter?
Stepdad or Bio Dad: Does it Make a Difference?

16 What Dads Do Differently

Boundary Enforcement (Versus Boundary Setting)
Exploring Nature, Taking Risks
Roughhousing: Dad as a Rough, Tough Cream Puff
"Teachable Moments": A Little Pain for a Lot of Gain
Challenging the Kids' Limits
Hangout Time
Teasing: Emotional Intelligence Training, Dad-Style?
The Conditional or Hierarchical Dad
The Worrier and the Warrior: The Checks and Balances of Parenting

17 In the Case of Divorce . . . The Four "Must-Dos"

18 The Father Warrior: Why Fathering Will Be a New Male Sense of Purpose

com: The Father Warrior Meets the Have-It-All Woman
If Men Get Paid More, Is It Realistic for a Dad to Be the Primary Parent?

19 DAD: Discrimination Against Dads

"It Doesn't Feel Right When I See Them Together"
Moms Have the Right to Children, Dads Have to Fight for Children
How Did Father Knows Best Become Father Knows Less?
Guiding Your Son to "Make a Difference"

20 The Best Parent is Both Parents, But . . .

The Best "Parent" is an Attitude Shift

Fighting in front of the kids
No one asked why the men were drinking
Cheap fun for dad and son
Dad-inspiring movies

When the Best "Parent" Cannot Be Both Parents

The Cub Scouts and character
Mentoring and rite-of-passage programs
Grandfather time
When the biological father is missing, can God the Father help?

21 From "Cultural Shrug" to Cultural Shift

Kill Today, Love Tomorrow: The Military Dad Dilemma
From Father's Dime to Father's Time
The Government: As Problem, as Solution

Creating a White House Council on Boys and Men

Our Dads, Our Sons, Our Guns

22 Creating Dad-Enriched Families

PART V: Heroic Intelligence Versus Health Intelligence

23 Heroic Intelligence Versus Health Intelligence

Biologically, Girls Just Live Longer, Right?
Social Bribes: Hollywood-Heroic Health Versus Mental and Physical Health

Does the new heroine mean your son won't have to risk his life for her love?

Health Intelligence Inventory
Boys' Weakness as Their Facade of Strength
Your Son's Body, Not His Choice

"First and ten, concussion again!"
My son wants to join the military. Is this good news or bad news?

Your Son's Body, Your Son's Choice: Resisting the Sirens of Social Bribes

24 Emotional Intelligence and Mental Health

The Barriers to a Boy's Emotional Intelligence
Behind Your Son's Mask

"I'm fine . . . Just leave me alone."
Helping your son take risks in life without risking his life

How Heroic Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence Play Out in Everyday Life

Moving to better neighborhoods helps girls and hurts boys
The bully and the bullied
Helping both the bully and the bullied

Eighteen Steps Toward Integrating Emotional and Physical Health Intelligence into Heroic Intelligence

25 Reversing Depression, Preventing Suicide

Causes of Suicide

Women cry, men die
If no human doing, no human being
Suicide is contagious

Diagnosing Danger: The Warren Farrell Male Depression/Suicide Inventory (WFMDI)
Preventing Suicide

26 Hidden Hazards to Your Son's Health

The "Sperm Crisis": To Be, or Not to Be
Drinking and Drugs
The Unholy Trinity: Obesity, Diabetes, and Erectile Dysfunction

27 From Hurt People Hurting People to Healed People Healing People

Refilling the Empathy Void
Couples' Communication: Your Children's Best Inheritance

PART VI: ADHD: Treatment With or Without Medication

28 The New Neural Crisis

A New Spin on ADHD

29 The Four Faces of ADHD

30 The Many Causes of ADHD

Addressing the Cause to Heal the Brain

31 Natural Solutions to Restore Dopamine Function

32 Natural Supplements for Better Brain Performance

Conclusion

Your Mission: Guiding Your Son to Discover His Mission
Extending Gender Liberation to Dads
From Cultural Shrug to Cultural Mission: A Gender Liberation Movement

Appendix A: Family Dinner Night: The Five Essentials

Appendix B: The Boy Crisis List: The Benefits of Dad, the Dangers of Dad Deprivation

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

About the Authors