Talk to Your Boys

An urgent and practical book that helps parents and their boys navigate important topics like sex, drugs, bullying, power, consent, and more in a way that helps them grow their emotional intelligence, while also building connection and a closeness that can last a lifetime.

Talk to your Boys is a practical guide to communicating with your tween and teen boy with the goal of raising young men who care about themselves and others. The book focuses on 16 essential and wide‑ranging conversations on mental health and masculinity, sex and consent, money and power, violence and guns, and more. Packed with helpful advice, conversation starters, tips and scripts, Talk to Your Boys is designed to help families get better at having these crucial, but sometimes awkward, discussions with the larger goal to raise emotionally intelligent men who aren’t hemmed in by outdated ideas of masculinity.

Co‑authors Joanna Schroeder, a parenting journalist, and Christopher Pepper, an award‑winning educator, have a real understanding of how challenging it is to navigate the ever‑changing worlds of teenagers with compassion and wisdom—especially when one has multiple children at different stages of development. Their practical advice is woven together with interviews with the leading experts in psychology, gender issues, and child development along with the voices and perspectives from dozens of teen boys from different backgrounds. 

• “Talk to Your Boys by Schroeder and Pepper is the book we’ve been waiting for—a game-changing guide that tackles one of the most pressing challenges of parenting today: how to talk with boys about the things that matter most. Talk to Your Boys makes it clear that connecting with the boys in our lives is not only possible, but essential. This book is required reading for anyone who cares about raising boys to thrive emotionally, build strong relationships, and grow into healthy, whole adults.”
  —Lisa Damour, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
   
  “Talk to Your Boys is an essential guide to the new conversations parents must have with their sons to help them remain connected, compassionate, and clear-headed in a world that tells them (over and over) that ‘real men’ are the opposite. Take a deep breath. Dive in. This is the book you’ve been waiting for.”
  —Peggy Orenstein, bestselling author of Boys & Sex and Girls & Sex
   
  “Talk to Your Boys is more than a superb help for parents - it is a call to action. Using tips, sample scripts and practical tools, Schroeder and Pepper empower parents to go beyond one-word responses to real conversation. How to listen to our sons and lead them toward wholeness and health. In these difficult times, they offer clarity, warmth, and true guidance. A much-needed addition.” 
  —Terrence Real, bestselling author of Us and founder of Relational Life Institute
   
  “A powerful, detailed, and supportive book to help us raise confident, caring, and connected boys in a world that often compels them to abandon themselves.”
  —Eli Harwood, therapist and bestselling author of Raising Securely Attached Kids, and
  creator of @attachmentnerd
   
  “Parenting boys in this moment can feel like navigating a cultural minefield. Talk to Your Boys offers the clarity and compassion parents desperately need. It’s a pragmatic guide I wish I’d had years ago—and one I’ll be turning to again and again.”
  —Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes and Hello,
  Cruel World!
   
  "Talk to Your Boys is the book I wish every parent, teacher, and therapist had on their shelf. Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper offer a compassionate, practical guide for raising boys who are emotionally aware, connected, and resilient. Grounded in research and rich with real-world tools, this book helps adults foster the kind of secure relationships boys need to thrive. A vital resource for anyone who cares about the future of our sons."
   
  —Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT, author of Wired for Love and In Each Other’s Care
   
   
  LISA DAMOUR, PHD, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers
• “Talk to Your Boys is an essential guide to the new conversations parents must have with their sons to help them remain connected, compassionate, and clear-headed in a world that tells them (over and over) that ‘real men’ are the opposite. Take a deep breath. Dive in. This is the book you’ve been waiting for.”
  —Peggy Orenstein, bestselling author of Boys & Sex and Girls & Sex
   
  “Talk to Your Boys is more than a superb help for parents - it is a call to action. Using tips, sample scripts and practical tools, Schroeder and Pepper empower parents to go beyond one-word responses to real conversation. How to listen to our sons and lead them toward wholeness and health. In these difficult times, they offer clarity, warmth, and true guidance. A much-needed addition.” 
  —Terrence Real, bestselling author of Us and founder of Relational Life Institute
   
  “A powerful, detailed, and supportive book to help us raise confident, caring, and connected boys in a world that often compels them to abandon themselves.”
  —Eli Harwood, therapist and bestselling author of Raising Securely Attached Kids, and creator of @attachmentnerd
   
  “Parenting boys in this moment can feel like navigating a cultural minefield. Talk to Your Boys offers the clarity and compassion parents desperately need. It’s a pragmatic guide I wish I’d had years ago—and one I’ll be turning to again and again.”
  —Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes and Hello,
  Cruel World!
   
  "Talk to Your Boys is the book I wish every parent, teacher, and therapist had on their shelf. Joanna Schroeder and Christopher Pepper offer a compassionate, practical guide for raising boys who are emotionally aware, connected, and resilient. Grounded in research and rich with real-world tools, this book helps adults foster the kind of secure relationships boys need to thrive. A vital resource for anyone who cares about the future of our sons."
   —Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT, author of Wired for Love and In Each Other’s Care