The Raising Boys and Girls podcast is back for Season 4 with topics and guests that will inspire you along your journey of raising kids in today’s world. Join Sissy Goff and David Thomas this week as they talk about what kids need most right now.

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What Girls are Struggling with Right Now

Anxiety

Anxiety breeds on unpredictability. 

Anxiety is bleeding into depression.

Flat Affects: blankness. When kids don’t even seem like they are there.

Disengagement

Kids are out of practice with their social skills.

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What Boys are Struggling with Right Now

Boys are recalibrating. They are struggling to get their footing again in three areas:

Relationships

Technology

Structure

Boys both crave and hate structure. 

Boys are rebounding from loss and missed opportunities.

Activities and Sports

Competence and Confidence

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What Girls Need Right Now

Anxiety is always looking for something to attach to. 

Girls need coping skills to deal with their anxiety. Come up with a list of things they can do to work through their anxiety.

The #1 reason kids don’t work through their anxiety is they don’t practice the skill.

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Girls need grace and calm. 

Parents need to be the calmest person in the room when kids are struggling. 

They can’t get there if you can’t.

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What Boys Need Right Now

Support and Challenge. It’s both/and. They need you to support them and challenge them when they struggle.

Roleplay is a great way to practice how to handle the harder moments in life.

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Practice and Consistency.

Boys need sports practice and activity. They need movement.

Practice makes progress. Kids need practice now more than ever. 

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Intentional Practices:

• Talk to your kids about how they are doing.
• Require a consistent movement outlet.

Side by side conversations feel safer than eye to eye for boys. David Thomas