You can totally steal his look for your own retro cutie with a pair of the Adidas Kids Country shoes. You can pick them up from Aussie retailer Kido Store for $59.95.

Houndstooth has a special place in my heart. I can’t explain my love for it, but I’m sure you can see why when you look at the gorgeous black houndstooth baby boy loafers in the picture above.

Swoon away, lovelies.

$US24 from Ivory & Moss (free shipping to anywhere!).

The idea of dealing with hormones and lust and insecurities and whatever else boys go through, not to mention trying to teach him a few things about respecting girls and women and not being a jackass, makes my head ache now and he’s still a sweet little toddler.

Feminist blogger Rebekah Spicuglia experienced the same thing when her 11-year-old son announced to her over the phone (she’s a long-distance noncustodial mom) that he was going through puberty. After talking with his teachers to see what sort of sex ed he’d be getting at school (short answer: not much), she headed for the bookstore.

She found that there isn’t a lot for her son’s age group that’s positive about sex, and nothing that has a LGTBQ perspective. But she did find a few helpful books, like My Body, My Self for Boys” and “The Talk” (which I have heard recommended elsewhere) about talking about sex with your kids.

Thanks to feminism, there seems to be a lot out there about empowering girls to have some self-respect in sex and relationships. But there’s not a lot for boys about how to treat women with respect and kindness, and I certainly see a lot of parents kind of looking the other way when their boys make comments about fat chicks or sluts or whatever when they’d be furious over someone saying the same thing about their daughters. And the prevailing culture is not helping us at all.

What books or resources have helped you? How do you address the “don’t be a giant douchebag” issue with your sons?

These findings lend credence to the old wives tale that I had never before heard, which is that a difficult pregnancy means the baby will be a boy. (Anybody hear that one?)

After looking at 66,000 births, researchers at Tel Aviv University found a slightly greater risk for prematurity or c-section delivery for boy births than for girls. This backed up the findings of study a decade ago, which found males births were a 1.5 times more likely to get stuck in the birth canal.

From the NY Times:

Scientists point out that these findings do not indicate that male births are necessarily “high risk,” just slightly more risky than female births. One reason, it seems, is the larger head size of male babies. But there is speculation that other factors, like higher levels of androgens, may also play a role.

Any midwives, nurses, docs, doulas, etc., etc., have their own intuition on this?

By the way, I’ve also heard boys grow up and never call home, too. Can someone study that because I just had a son and thinking of that makes me panic.

Photo: dailymail.co.uk

Most of us are thinking about a girl. There are lots of reasons for that – we certainly still see childcare as women’s work, and some of us just don’t trust males around our children, which is sad. There’s still an outdated notion that a man who takes interest in children who aren’t his has some sort of creepy motive, when people don’t generally think the same about females.

Which is too bad for all the teen boys out there who would make fabulous sitters. Certainly on my husband’s side of the family where all the nieces and nephews except ours are in their teens and 20s, it’s the boys who are most likely to be holding or playing with our kids and if any of them lived closer, we’d be hiring them for child care regularly. And my dad is as likely to take care of my kids as my mum is.

That’s why I liked this story about a group of Boy Scouts getting babysitter training from the Red Cross as part of a badge program. It’s the same certification that girls receive,, and qualifies them to babysit for younger kids. Unlike other classes, though, this one was all-male, which gave the boys a chance to see that they were not alone in being interested in caring for kids.

They learned how to change nappies, feed babies and market themselves to parents.

How do you feel about boy babysitters? Are you fine with it, or do you feel more comfortable with girls?

Apparently little boys eager to pee just like Daddy are getting their wee peckers crushed by falling toilet seats.

I can't say I'm surprised. Ever since my son potty-trained last year I have watched as he stands in front of the toilet, penis in hand, and lets the heavy ceramic lid crash down after he's done his business. To be honest though, I never really thought he could get caught. He's only 4, and his penis is still so… well, you know. (I don't want to give him a complex.)

There are an estimated 250 "penis crush injuries" per year in the U.K. alone. Doctors blame this on the rising popularity of heavy ceramic and wooden toilet seats

I think I'll make my son pee sitting down from now on.

They whined: I can’t wear these pants. My shirt isn’t warm. You have to warm these clothes up.

As I began light-heartedly pulling the soppy clothes out of the dryer so that my boys could have warm socks, I was suddenly crippled by horrific visions of my sweet little sons at age thirty, griping to their wives that they needed their clothes to be warmed each morning because that’s what their mother did for them.

Oh my god, I thought, I’m raising mama’s boys. I had mysteriously grown apron strings, despite the fact that I don’t cook.

Before my husband and I had children, it was assumed by all who knew us that when we became parents, I would be the bad cop. Call central casting for the disciplinarian, and I would be the first sent down. While I was a Type A, stick-to-the-rules, eat-what-you-kill kind of gal, my husband was incredibly laid back. Nothing seemed to bother him. Ever. Even I was certain that our future children would figure out quickly that when Mommy says “no,” Daddy will say “yes.” But it didn’t turn out that way at all.

Within twenty-six months, I gave birth to two little boys, and transformed into a completely different person. I became extremely proficient at nurturing my sons and fairly impotent at disciplining them. To this day, I am the first to cave on punishments and the last to say no to double dessert.

Don’t like what we are having for dinner? No problemo! I’ll fix you something special.

You just earned a thirty-minute time out, mister! Okay, maybe fifteen minutes. Alright, six, but that is it!

I see that Lego set costs $49.99. How much do you have? Alright, I’ll make up the extra $42.

Even worse, I actually enjoy doing things for the boys that they should clearly be doing for themselves. Somewhere deep inside, fixing snacks, making beds, packing schoolbags, combing hair, and picking out clothes makes me feel happy and motherly. Meanwhile, my husband, Mr. Mellow, has slipped easily into the role of authoritarian. He used to just roll his eyes at my indulgences, but lately he’s been pushing back.

What he wants to know is, why would a woman who is hard-wired for dealing with the world in a certain manner undergo a complete personality change when dealing with her children? Does the fact that I am the only female in my house have something to do with it? Could there be unknown forces at work here?

While it would be convenient to blame my over-mothering entirely on chromosomes, I know better. Not all mothers of boys are like me in favouring the “seventeen strikes and you’re out” rule. Some don’t even offer second chances. Here, according to the experts, is where our pasts come into play big time.

“Because they have never been boys themselves, mothers project a great deal of their own experiences with men onto their sons,” says Michael Thompson, Ph.D., author of It’s a Boy!: Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Age 18 and the New York Times best seller, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. “If they look at their sons and see in them a loving grandfather, father or brother it is tremendously positive, but if they view an ex-husband or an abusive boyfriend, it can be quite the opposite. We all project our biggest disappointments and greatest happiness on the opposite gender.”

So, for my award-winning role as doormat, I would like to thank my father, who was largely absent during my teen years, as well as boyfriends #1, 3, 4, and 6 for inspiring me to please my little men at all costs. Without those male influences, I never would have been able to cut up the meat of an eleven-year-old boy with such genuine enthusiasm.

Thankfully, I’m not a lost cause. According to Dr. Thompson, the one thing keeping me from being totally overbearing and creepy is the fact that I grew up with a normal kid brother who evolved into a fully functioning adult. Without that experience, I might worry much more about my boys.

“Mothers who grew up with brothers tend to have faith that everything will be okay,” says Dr. Thompson.

This faith is born out of the experience of watching brothers go their through natural stages of development, including those wild and weird stages, and having it all work out in the end.

Despite the genetic and psychological rationales for my mothering style, the fifty-million-dollar question remains: Is my close, enabling relationship with my boys too much?

“Every boy has his mother to thank for his emotional foundation,” says Dr. Thompson. “A mother has tremendous psychological power. But as he grows, a boy must be able to leave his mother without losing her completely and return to her without losing himself.”

At some point, and that point is rapidly approaching, I will begin to cut my apron strings, not all at once, but thread by thread. I’m counting on my boys to give me some clues about when, and which ones to cut first. The clothes-in-the-dryer trick is largely a thing of the past. And this year I resolved to stop laying out their clothes for them and hovering over their homework. Still, I hope even when they grow more independent, we will remain connected for life. And if they ever need a little extra warmth, they’ll know where to find it.

South Korean photographer JeongMee Joon has highlighted the stark difference between ‘girls toys’ and ‘boys toys’ in a series she calls Pink And Blue.

The project was initiated Joon’s five-year-old daughter, who loved the color pink so much that she wanted to wear only pink clothes and play with only pink toys and objects.

Joon discovered that her daughter’s case was not unusual. In the United States, South Korea and elsewhere, most young girls love seem to love pink clothing, accessories and toys. This phenomenon is widespread among children of various ethnic groups regardless of their cultural backgrounds.

Conversely, many boys have a lot of blue possessions. When the toy and clothing aisles are already segregated into ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ and blue and pink dominate, it becomes hard for parents to buck the trend.

As Joon notes,

The differences between girls’ objects and boys’ objects are also divided and affect their thinking and behavioral patterns. Many toys and books for girls are pink, purple, or red, and are related to make up, dress up, cooking, and domestic affairs. However, most toys and books for boys are made from the different shades of blue and ? are related to robots, industry, science, dinosaurs, etc. This is a phenomenon as intense as the Barbie craze. Manufacturers produce anthropomorphic ponies that have the characteristics of young girls. They have barrettes, combs and accessories, and the girls adorn and make up the ponies. These kinds of divided guidelines for the two genders deeply affect children’s gender group identification and social learning.

The good news? Girls seem to grow out of the pink phase by Grade 4. Then they move on to purple.

Robeez knows how to dress-up! With the comfort and quality we can count on from Robeez and droolworthy styling, your little man will be ready to step out in style. Even if it's just your weekly play date, he'll be picture ready in these shoes. See my favorite Tredz, Mini Shoez and soft soles after the jump!

The above dark brown and periwinkle Mini Shoez are made of soft, flexible suede. These shoes are so precious they should be saved as a keepsake long after he grows out of them. Robeez Mini Shoez Classic Laces Boot Periwinkle is available in sizes 3-6 and 6-12 and is $US34.95 (international shipping available). 

For your little walker, the above Tredz loafers will make him feel like a big boy! Tredz have water resistant soles and are ideal for outdoor use. Great looking with jeans and his first button down shirt. Tredz Loafer, Dark Brown Suede are available in sizes 12-16, 16-20, 20-24 for $41.95 (international shipping available).

The above soft sole Robeez are very preppy cool with detailed stitching in buttery soft leather. Perfect for all his holiday parties, lunch dates and Mummy and Me. Penny Loafers, Navy Baby Boy Shoes are available in sizes: 0-6, 6-12 and 12-18 and are $27.95 (international shipping available).

The London newspaper cites research by the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, surmising, "most people believe that frequent coverage in the media of boys as
knife-wielding, cannabis-smoking gang members may fuel the reluctance
to adopt them." 

A strong believer in nurture over nature, I wonder what prospective parents are planning to do with these children in the years after adoption if these are the thoughts foremost on their minds. Do they not plan on being the sort of involved parent who works to keep their kids off drugs and out of gangs? The sort of parent who teaches their kids about kindness and generosity? The sort who works to raise a law-abiding little citizen?

On the flip side, have they watched any movies lately? Heathers, maybe, or Monster? As the mother of a little girl, I can admit I'm biased, but I look at some of the high school girls walking around the mall and grit my teeth. That, I pledge, will never be my daughter. And if, by some chance, she turns out to be the shoplifting, rabble-rousing, too-much-make-up/too-little-clothes-wearing teenage freak I see all too often (and somehow these British parents have blinded themselves to), she'll be spending a lot more time in her room, "thinking about her actions." 

Because, ultimately, parenting has to weigh out. The experts paraphrased in the Independent say parents think girls will be "easier to control." An adult who walks into parenting worried about "control" needs to sit down and re-evaluate whether they really understand what they're about to do. It isn't about who controls who so much as it is how a family unit works together and grows together. 

Whether they can help a girl grow into a woman or a boy grow into a man, they need to start on the same page.

Image: Amazon