Experts say ‘the talk’ for boys needs to change in the #MeToo era
It’s a family exercise so universally uncomfortable, neither parents nor children dare speak its subject by name: having “the talk.” But nearly one year into the #MeToo movement, these parent-led discussions about procreation are in dire need of an overhaul, say experts.
“The talk” can no longer just be about the birds and the bees, said Rachel Giese, Toronto-based author of “Boys: What It Means To Become a Man.”
Parents need to do away with such euphemisms and bring the public discourse about gender-based power dynamics into their homes, she said, because failing to address the thorny issues surrounding sex would be doing a disservice to their children — particularly, their sons.
“Barely a year into (the #MeToo movement), there has been this backlash emerging, and we’re hearing it in the people who say things like, ‘Boys will be boys.’ Or, ‘This is what all young men do,’” said Giese.