Lost Boys?

At the risk of being a bit controversial, I thought I'd share a recent article forwarded to me from one of our British counselors. Sue Palmer has written an interesting piece which touches on many of the themes that a camp like Chippewa addresses. While I suspect many of her generalizations and observations at the beginning of the article are a bit overstated and likely controversial, her fundamental conclusion is one that I share....that boys need positive male role-models. She concludes :

"The essential element during the transition from boy to man, as at all stages in a boy’s life, is the attention of other human beings. Human role models are important from the moment of birth, as parents unconsciously provide examples of social behaviour, language and life skills. And boys need the consistent presence of a father figure, providing examples of acceptable male behaviour as they grow up. But as boys enter their teens, there may be tensions between father and son — hence the recognition across all times and cultures that adolescent boys need to move beyond the family and spend time learning from other men. Perhaps the most significant difference between the lives of adolescent boys in the past and teenage boys today is the company they keep. Until the second half of the 20th century, boys over the age of about 14 lived and worked with men. "

So at the risk of being a bit controversial, here is a link to the entire article. Again, I don't believe that the sky is falling with boys in our society. In fact, Ms. Palmer's assessments may be a bit alarmist, but I agree that positive male role-models, like the men on the staff at Chippewa, have much to offer as boys mature into manhood. In many cases, boys may lack those positive male role-models in everyday life.