This week, quite by chance, I came across a small pamphlet framed around Celia Lashlie's work with adolescent boys.

As someone who had the privilege of working with her, I took the time to read it. It reminded me of her pragmatism and her insight into what is going on with young men.

The quote that caught my eye was around the five guiding principles for raising boys:

Laughter and silence - the two things our gorgeous boys need most from their mothers.

Recognise boys' desire - to live in the moment, their ability and/or unwillingness to plan their lives.

Never underestimate the power of peer pressure - and learning for adolescent boys.

The central issue is getting mothers off the bridge of adolescence and fathers onto it.

Boys like clear boundaries. They have to be able to see and/or feel the consequences of doing or not doing something before it becomes real enough to matter and to motivate them.

As parents we all learn as we go, there is no one thing that works with all boys, but there is some common sense and key things we as parents can reflect on. I would encourage you over the weekend to read this excerpt published on her website;

https://www.celialashlie.nz/celia-says/boys-work/the-importance-of-laughter