Man Up

How to Raise Sons Who Aren’t Terrible

Two moms discuss strategies.

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Episode Notes

This week Aymann hears from Maria, a mother who’s worried about raising her two young boys in the #MeToo era. She admits that she originally wanted girls and now wants to make sure her boys grow up to be respectful, empathetic men. For help, Aymann and Maria turn to Shehnaz, a mother and restaurateur who raised two sons that she couldn’t be more proud of. Shehnaz explains the importance of communication, trust, and disrupting gender norms.

What makes you a work in progress? Do you want to talk through something you can’t quite crack related to manhood or masculinity? Let us know, and we might help you work through it on the show. Give us a call at 805-626-8707 or email us at manup@slate.com.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

About the Show

On Man Up, host Aymann Ismail invites men and women to tell embarrassing, funny, and sometimes disturbing stories about their lives as they try to figure out what they still have to learn—and unlearn—about being a man. They’ll talk relationships, family, sex, and identity, trying to understand their experiences to help listeners make more sense of their own.

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