PRACHI SACHDEV

Introduction

Life is not always fair. And problems are gender-neutral. A lot has been said and written about the plight of girls and women. There have been lectures and moral guides for girls. They have been manipulated, abused and used, and rehabilitated. Most of us even had to fight for our existence. Yes, it’s a tough life for this gender. Indeed, measures have been taken to improve women’s physical and mental health. Support groups are there to help them with emotional and financial stability. What about boys? For generations, boys have been raised to be tough, macho, sporty, and strong, as the perception is boys cannot be seen as weak ducklings. The men we are dealing with today are closed, emotionally unavailable, and hard nuts to crack when it comes to communication. And what is it that we can do about it? A lot, in fact. But only with the generation of boys, we are now raising.

As parents of boys, I believe, we have a responsibility to break the gender barriers that make them vulnerable to society’s judgments. We have to be the pioneers to help our boys explore their emotional side of them. We have to teach them that mental pressures are not easy to deal with. And that anger, violence, escaping, and shutting themselves up are not the solutions to any problem. There is so much our boys have to unlearn so that they can learn to embrace their true selves. In this fast-paced world where kids are growing closer to technology and gadgets and are easily influenced by others on social media, it is a challenge to bring them to love and accept their true identity.