The Simple Guide to Sensitive Boys

by Betsy De Thierry, Emma Reeves (Illustrations)

What do Pablo Picasso, Prince and Martin Luther King Jr have in common? All have been described as having been highly sensitive boys and all grew up to be outstanding, sensitive men. Too often, adults think of sensitive boys as shy, anxious and inhibited. They are measured against society's ideas about 'manliness' -- that all boys are sociable, resilient and have endless supplies of energy. This highly readable guide is for any adult wanting to know how to understand and celebrate sensitive boys. It describes how thinking about boys in such old-fashioned ways can cause great harm, and make a difficult childhood all the more painful. The book highlights the real strengths shared by many sensitive boys - of being compassionate, highly creative, thoughtful, fiercely intelligent and witty. It also flips common negative clichés about sensitive boys being shy, anxious and prone to bullying to ask what we can do to create a supportive environment in which they will flourish? Full of simple yet sage advice, this book will help you to encourage boys to embrace their individuality, find their own place in the world, and to be the best they can be.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Self Help

104 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2017

About the author

Betsy de Thierry is a trained psychotherapist and a qualified primary school teacher who has founded several charities that work directly with troubled families.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of The Simple Guide to Sensitive Boys: How to Understand and How to Help tells you all you need to know about this book. The dysfunctional expectations of males within mainstream society are explored and the potential emotional/social consequences for boys who have been deemed "not masculine enough" are defined. Psychotherapist and author: Betsy De Thierry provides suggestions on how to strengthen fragile self-esteem, help reduce anxiety, and facilitate self-acceptance for those more sensitive boys who may have internalized the subtle or outright rejections from those around them. Note: In my opinion, the suggestions portion of this book could be used with children of any gender.

My son is a boy you could describe as sensitive. He's gentle, kind, creative, and soft-hearted. He hates sports, he doesn't like to sweat or get dirty, he loves to cook and do activities that allow him to create, and most of his friends are girls because he feels he just doesn't fit in with the other boys around him who spend their weekends at football practice. I took the opportunity to read this book because I want to build upon his strengths and not tear them down because they don't fit inside the small box reserved for his gender. I enjoyed this book and thought it delivered information well. There are a few case studies of sorts with reflection questions afterwards to help the reader process and generalize the information. Topic changes are well-documented. Integrated research information has been sited and credited, similar to a research paper or professional journal article. Content is understandable and put in layman's terms for reader ease. Overall, I found The Simple Guide to Sensitive Boys to be informative, helpful, and motivating. It stresses that some things need to be celebrated instead of fixed and I am in complete support of that. Check it out!

Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of The Simple Guide to Sensitive Boys: How to Understand and How to Help. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Betsy de Thierry
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Genres: Parenting & Families
Pub Date: 19 Oct 2017

[Irvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent and informative book. I read this because I want to know the general expectation of boys and men. Also I want to know better the thought of how a sensitive person tends to approach something. I haven’t raised a son or brothers. But I think it was nice to take a glimpse on how to understand children better. I have cousin who is very reserved as a primary school student. As an adults I often think it’s important to give children a sense of security in early childhood as well as giving them the basic of supporting environment so that they can develop better resilience and better coping mechanisms.

This book is good if you have someone who close to you (brother, nephew, or son) who categorized as sensitive. But if they’re categorize as highly sensitive then probably it won’t be that much help. I was expecting for more practical approach that can be done though.

[Renert Dusout · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short guide to empathy, above anything else, and the kind of book that should be recommended to anyone who likes or feels that he should exercise that. :)

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've probably been a little generous with my rating. Ideally I'd have given it a 3.5, but given only the option of 3 or 4, I feel like the intent and some of the content nudges the rating higher than would deserve 3 stars.

For me the book is a little confused. It's not clear whether it's intended at parents of sensitive children or the vast array of people who work with children and may encounter a sensitive child (presumably anyone outside of the therapy/counselling space who would have access to much more thorough resources). Either way, for me it falls short of being useful for either group. It is neither broad enough nor practical enough to be the "perfect" book for parents, nor is it deep enough for professionals.

Add to that some spelling errors and clunky phrasing in the first couple of chapters and the fact it often reads like an academic paper and it's sadly nowhere near as powerful or useful as it could be.

All that being said, as a parent of a boy that has been described as highly sensitive (and not just by us, his parents), the book has some useful insights, a few bits of practical advice and some challenging sections.

I'm glad I've read it, but I probably won't be in a rush to read it again, except maybe to use it as a springboard to further reading, and I suspect that may have been a strong aspect of it's purpose all along.

[Justine Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to get into and finish. It was pretty good info, but definitely more of an intro to things. I was hoping for more.