How to Raise a Man

With special guest:

• Megan De Beyer
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

Something many of us wonder about from time to time is what turns a boy into a man. With the title of Megan de Beyer’s new book being How to Raise a Man there was no hiding from this question and Megan dives straight in.

And then there is the most common issue for parents raising young men - how to get more than a grunt in lieu of conversation. In these Covid restricted times as we are forced to spend more time at home this question become even more important. The best approach is to treat this time as a challenge rather than a threat and Megan has lots of suggestions on making this time productive. In brief Megan encourages us to look at ourselves more in this dynamic relationship rather than trying to fix something in our young men.

Megan has identified four different parenting styles namely authoritarian/authoritative/neglect/permissive and asks into which category do we fit. Once this is identified Megan asks if this style is a carryover from our own parents’ style which is normally the model for parents. Megan’s advice is that we can change the style by putting in the effort and we should aim for authoritative style above say the authoritarian.

Megan tells us the response to a question she has been putting to senior schoolboys over more than ten years. If you could give some advice to your mothers what would it be? The answers she gets may surprise you but it is a good question to ask yourself as well.

It is fascinating to get Megan’s take on other hot button issues such as how to discipline your child and this becomes even more difficult if the parents have split up.

When we talk to Megan there are many problems you will identify with. There are also many causes for optimism. It is a joy to speak with Megan and after hearing her speak you will be in no doubt as to why her seminars are so popular around the world.

Megan De Beyer

Megan de Beyer, MA (Psychology), Msc (Holistic Ecology), lives between Cape Town and Sydney. She is an international specialist parent psychologist and the mother of two young men. She is a prolific international speaker at events and conferences, and on television, radio and podcasts. She facilitates the popular course ‘Strong Mothers - Strong Sons’ that runs at boys’ schools in South Africa and Australia, in the USA and the UK.

Song selection by our guest: Feeling Good by Nina Simone

Podcast (mp3)