... clear and urgent ... zippy, bighearted ... for rational, evidence-based advice on how to talk to your son about every internal and external force he’ll experience from fourth grade through college, Cara Natterson’s zippy, bighearted Decoding Boys is the guide you need ... Natterson is ambitious in her scope. She acknowledges that explaining neurobiology, testicular growth, the gun crisis, screen addiction, sexting, consent and how to talk about it all is too much for 200 pages. But those are the intertwined realities of parenting a boy in 2020, and none of us can opt out ... Natterson is empathic and funny in her approach ... Routinely, Natterson checks her writerly ego for the sake of clarity and health, offering anecdotes right up front.
Natterson, a pediatrician, parent, and best-selling child-care author, provides a helpful guide for the care and handling of adolescent boys. Instructive chapters...effectively combine an understanding of pertinent male physiology with sound advice on good parenting ... Natterson...informatively discusses the teen brain, aggression, and sex ed ... Natterson...encourages parents to be readily available and supportive listeners. Honest and loving conversations are the key to navigating adolescence.
Natterson’s tone is comforting as she seeks to clue readers in, in terms of perspective and advice, on the physiological and emotional changes afoot ... A common-sensical, gently humorous exploration of male puberty’s many trials.
