Latest news with #LeonardSax
Fox News
12-08-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Doctor reveals why he is 'concerned' about mental health screenings in Illinois schools
Dr. Leonard Sax, author of 'The Collapse of Parenting,' joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss why he is concerned about a new law requiring schools in Illinois to screen kids' mental health.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Today's young men are doing worse than their fathers. How can we fix that?
When my son Peter was a sophomore in high school, he did something that left a lasting impression on me. Frustrated with his place in school and life in general, he decided to take matters into his own hands. After doing independent research, he concluded that attending military school was the best path forward. Seeing his resolve, his mother and I supported him, and soon, we sent him off to the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California. I'll never forget the new parent orientation at the academy, where the headmaster, reverently referred to as 'the General,' addressed us while pacing the stage in Patton-esque fashion: 'Boys are stove touchers! You can tell a boy a hundred times not to touch the stovetop because it's hot. You can warn him, demonstrate it and even plead with him. But almost every boy will feel the need to touch that stove and experience the heat for himself.' "The General" was singing to the choir, as every wide-eyed parent nodded their head in agreement. One of the key issues I've observed ― and that experts like Leonard Sax explore in books such as 'Boys Adrift' ― is the conflict between boys' natural tendencies and the rapidly evolving landscape of gender identity, inclusion and equality. This conflict crosses various domains, including classrooms, workplace, home, the dating arena … everywhere! Parents of both a girl and a boy probably know that a girl may be likely to sit quietly, look at a tadpole in a book, and get it. However, a boy needs to jump into the creek and touch that slimy booger to achieve the same level of understanding. It's those same boys, who today as young men are the first generation having to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of equity and inclusion on a massive scale. While we should celebrate our advancement of gender equality, the unintended consequences are a lack of clarity in defining modern masculinity, which leaves our young men confused and alienated. If we made a woman, someone of color, or non-heteronormative person the subject of declining statistics in education, careers, mating, homeownership, etc., we would be aghast or even angry. But when the subject is a young man, the tendency might be to say things like, lazy, entitled, or even toxic, with solutions like, 'snap out of it' or 'pull yourself up by the bootstraps.' The statistics are overwhelming ― today's young men are doing worse than their fathers and grandfathers. How can we get on the same page, in heave-ho unison, to fix this calamity? For starters, I have a suggestion: replace name-calling with good old-fashioned empathy. Opinion: Ryan Walters should support trauma-informed interventions for Oklahoma kids If we think back to when we were young and dealing with a big, loud and fast world, our hearts might ache for America's sons, and we would answer a call to arms. The good news is that youth is resilient and adaptive. If history has taught us anything, it is that young men are survivors. They WANT to succeed, not on handouts or even a hand-up, but rather on a primal hands-on experience that will instinctively shape them even if it burns. Reflecting on Peter, I've come to understand how critical it is to create environments that align with boys' unique needs and tendencies. Peter's experience illustrated this point perfectly, which went beyond his educational experience. He had been struggling in a traditional environment that emphasized conformity and rote learning. He needed structure, discipline and a sense of purpose ― qualities he instinctively sought and ultimately found at an all-boys military school. On the day when his mother and I would say goodbye to Peter, "the General" went on to explain that what the latest research was saying about boys was something that the Army and Navy Academy had known for over a century ― that boys are different. Boys are stove touchers. After 38 years in Los Angeles, K. John Lee recently boomeranged back to his Oklahoma roots. He is a financier, real estate investor, former high school teacher and a father of two young men. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Real men replace name calling with empathy | Opinion
