Inbox: Aug. 20, 2007

Big Trouble for Boyhood

As the father of a 7-month-old, I read with keen interest your cover story "The Myth About Boys" [Aug. 6]. In our digitized, globalized 21st century society, we value orderliness and predictability. Yet boys are all about disorder: digging in the dirt, scuffed knees, taking apart Dad's favorite portable radio to "see how it works," learning the rules and etiquette of street basketball. As the article points out, boys learn best by doing. The inevitable bits of temporary pain that occur through mistakes and failures forge the common sense and confidence that allow young boys to successfully...

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