What Boys Need To Know

I recently watched a Ted Talk by Tony Porter and in the video, he talked about his past experiences with the "man box" and how that box is made up of all the things that define a man. He would tell his son not to cry and send him to his room, but comforted his daughter when she would be sad. He also told a story about a time when his "man box" was threatened and he panicked in fear of stepping outside this box. Long story short, because he was always taught as a boy how to follow these social norms for being a "man", he does not know any other acceptable behaviors for men, like showing emotions other than anger or treating woman with the same respect he would to another man.

I think this Ted Talk is a powerful message to men, and women, because he is saying if we teach our sons right, we can change the definition of masculinity to what it should truly mean. If we do not teach young boys how to treat a woman properly without turning them into sexual objects, or thinking that men have more power over women, how will they know what behavior is right from wrong? We need to educate boys and young men that stepping out of this "man box" is not, and should not, be as terrifying as they may feel it is.
https://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men?referrer=playlist-how_masculinity_is_evolving#t-651913