It's written for middle/upper class parents who have somehow managed to find themselves with nearly no idea how adolescent development works. I would not recommend this book to any parents who are dealing with teenagers with severe mental health issues or substance abuse. Additionally, what about our LGBTQ boys that approach their transformation into sexual beings in perhaps a different way?

There are many brilliant books out there, but this one stands out for meI REALLY worry about the impact the rising levels of perfectionism in young people is having on their mental health. If a boy is intellectually curious, interested in the arts and reads a lot, this book is not for you. As someone who is always looking for new evidence and creative thinking about young adults’ mental health and wellbeing, I have read a LOT of books about the teenage brain or raising kids.

The author makes us realizing that controlling and being overinvolved parents actually cripple our children, and make them believe they can't do it. He explains why nagging and over-parenting simply exacerbates this issue, and how stepping back and giving boys more autonomy can help them become more self-directed and find their footing. He seems to think what they need is more work they’ll never do to figure out why they’re not doing work. And I got the message loud and clear to stop rescuing him (though putting that into practice is still a challenge). It certainly doesn’t make them uninterested in the rest of life, to make that assumption is seriously a lack of experience with teens.

The parents' change in perspective is the most important key; in the process, they will help their sons create self-sufficient, self-regulated plans.He may be an otherwise capable young man but seems apathetic and unmotivated, to the point you think he’s not excelling simply because he’s lazy. To be fair, I did get a couple of tips and insights that I will use, which is why I rated the book 3 stars.