Parents /
Guardians
Being a parent right now is a tough job.
Really tough.
We love young people, we really do. We want to give them the best possible chance at living a great life. But raising them can be incredibly difficult, particularly in the modern world.
Chances are you’re working more, you’re tired and everything seems increasingly expensive. Your child’s mind and body is developing, they’re talking back, or not talking at all.
Then comes the parties, excessive gaming, endless sport schedules, and navigating intimate relationships. And then there’s social media, where like a lot of kids, your child might be addicted to technology, potentially validating their self-worth based on their number of “likes”, “followers” or “subscribers”. Sound familiar?
In this strange, foreign land, where do you even begin?
“The flippant answers have gone. The resistance to suggestions has lessened.”
Yarra Valley Grammar parent
Things are changing.
Firstly, we don’t think men should lose their masculine traits. But we do want them to explore more of their humanity.
It’s time to help our young men move beyond the social pressures that encourage them to be entirely self-sufficient, to always act tough, to stick to traditional gender roles, to show sexual prowess and use aggression to resolve conflicts.
Why? Because raising adolescent boys to fit the stereotype of being a “real man” no longer works. In fact, it has been proven that young men who most strongly adhere to these behaviours, report poorer levels of mental health, engage in risky drinking, are more likely to be involved in car accidents and incidents of violence, online bullying and sexual harassment.
You can read more about this in The Man Box study here.
So how can we help?
It’s scary to think that suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged 15-44 years. Not drink-driving, not drug-overdose and not cancer but themselves.
At The Man Cave, we believe this is entirely preventable and we see you, as day-to-day role models young men, as essential to this movement.
That’s why in conjunction with our full day workshops, we provide comprehensive online resources to support you so that you can support your son. You will receive detailed digital content before the workshops that provide you with more information on what to expect, as well as information after the workshop about how you can continue to support your son’s development.
“The role of the elder is to create the space for the glorious mistakes of the young.”
