Childhood experiences shape our understanding of masculinity from "summary" of How Not To Be a Boy by Robert Webb
As boys, we start learning how to be boys long before we're aware of it. We don't learn it from books or classes - we learn it from the world around us. Our families, our friends, our teachers, our TV shows, our movies. They all teach us what it means to be a boy, and what it means to be a man. For most boys, this means learning that boys don't cry. Boys don't show their emotions. Boys are tough, strong, and independent. Boys don't ask for help. Boys don't need help. Boys are supposed to figure things out on their own. And if they can't, then they're not real boys. They're weak. They're failures. These lessons start early. They start in childhood, when we're still trying to make sense of the world around us. And they stay with us, shaping our understanding of masculinity for the rest of our lives. We carry them with us into adulthood, into our relationships, into our careers. We carry them with us even when we know, deep do...
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