Ask teenage boys about the emotional side of a relationship, and you can almost see them shaking in their skaties. All the young men spoken to say the pressure to find a career path is immense. Mike says he and his friends often talk about what their parents want them to do. Richard says the portrayal of teenagers by the media does not help the understanding of the real problems they face. There tends to be a lot of bravado and covering up of problems by the way they act.
People tend to focus on what they are doing instead of why they are doing it.
Richard says the traditional images of the hard Kiwi beer-swilling man who will not talk about his emotions are slowly breaking down. John Laurenson should know a little about teenage boys. For the last 30 years he has been a teacher, and for the last five principal at Shirley Boys' High School. He says many things have not changed since he was a teenager. Boys are not taught to off-load.