Rarest of all is the notion that boys and girls have distinct needs in their formative years. And that in our culture today, boys in particular need to learn that it's o.k. to be, well, a boy. And a boy's boy at that. He can rescue the damsel in distress, explore uncharted lands with Columbus, or ride with Stonewall Jackson. But this window is shrinking.
Fewer boys care about the heroes and histories of the past.
The joyful dreams of boyhood have been replaced with a darker and more violent vision . . The boys of our culture have forgotten what it means to be a boy and to dream the noble dreams of youth. A father with a hammer or saw in his hands was a hero to the little boy who watched him perform his task with skill. Some would think so. But the point is that if a boy is infused by his father with proper notions of bravery, chivalry, and responsibility, he can and will appropriately handle such things which are, in the end, really just tools.