Dear Boy Child,
I know how loud the voices can be, the voices of your parents, your teachers and persons around you. The ones that already picked your career, your hobbies, even the way you should walk into a room. They have picked what kind of colours you should and shouldn’t like. Maybe they said, “This is who you must become,” as though anyone’s life was a Nollywood script with no room for edits.
Silence becomes their shield, and their prison. Pain turns inward. Sadness turns to anger, loneliness into isolation. A boy who never learns to say “I’m struggling” grows into a man who suffers in silence. The world calls him strong, but inside, he’s breaking.
By: Jesutomiwo Adebumowa I see how you feel. I feel how you see. I perceive. I understand. I learn. I reach out. To make the world a better place, I become a better person. Today, I watched a mother gently correct her son. “She’s your sister, a human being with emotions, just like you. Throwing
By: Aborisade Grace Boluwatife Khaled Hosseini, in his poignant novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, writes, “A man’s heart is a wretched, wretched thing. It is not like a mother’s womb. It won’t bleed. It won’t stretch to make room for you.” This profound observation reshapes the way we view the emotional lives of men, particularly
By: Praise T. Oluwasina In every society, a quiet neglect lingers, The boy child, strong and self-sufficient in our eyes, Carries the weight, the burden of unspoken expectations, Alone. We raise banners for the girl child, A battle worth fighting, a cause most just, Yet in our fervor, we leave the boy, To “figure
By: Kawthar Abdulmojeed In a world inundated with societal expectations and norms, the concept of masculinity has long been rigid and unforgiving. Men are taught to be strong, stoic, and unyielding in the face of adversity. They are told to suppress their emotions, to “man up” even when they are hurting inside. However, this archetype
By: Praise T. Oluwasina Dearest Gentle Reader, There is a saying that “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors”, and neither is avoiding certain topics as a society builds a Better Man. Much like sailors navigating turbulent seas to refine their skills, young boys find themselves facing challenges seldom acknowledged or discussed. The boy child
By: Abdulmojeed Kawthar Image Credit: Boys Without Borders In the 21st century, the fate of the boy child has undergone significant changes and challenges. While progress is being made in terms of gender equality and addressing gender stereotypes, there are still areas where boys face unique struggles. A boy might grow up in a bustling
By: Habeeb Abdul Image credit: Boys Without Borders. This year, 2023, will mark the sixth year since the celebration of the Boy Child began. To individuals across sociocultural spheres, an International Day of the Boy Child may appear another cross-continental oddity. To others, its observation is a cause to sigh in deep relief. But this
By Olamilekan Mashika Image Credit: Jeff Ackley/Unsplash As a boy who grew up in Mushin, Lagos, I am probably used to the street than most people, since Mushin is, in fact, streets. On one side are boys of variety of age drinking, smoking and chatting generally about women, and on the other side are boys
Over the years, issues surrounding the boy-child and his development have not been given enough attention as required, thereby causing the areas essential for his growth to be treated with levity.
