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How to Raise a Gentle Man

A guide for parents and carers who want to raise kind, emotionally intelligent and respectful boys

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How to Raise a Gentle Man

By: Sarah Ockwell-Smith
Narrated by: Sarah Ockwell-Smith
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Summary

 From birth we treat boys differently to girls: we hold them less, talk to them less and discipline them more harshly. Society is full of stereotyped masculinity and families often pass down inherited beliefs of what 'manliness' should look like.

How to Raise a Gentle Man is a book for any parent or carer who wants to break that cycle and for those who are fed up with boys being blamed for everything. Toxic masculinity doesn't just hurt women and girls, it hurts boys too.

Sarah Ockwell-Smith, bestselling childcare expert and mother to three young men, argues that the answer to raising kind, respectful and gentle boys is not to ban social media or access to the internet, lay the blame solely at the feet of the incel movement or misogynistic influencers or to introduce reactionary Governmental education policies as a response to Netflix dramas.

The only truly effective way to help our boys is through the way we raise them.

How to Raise a Gentle Man gives step by step instructions for concerned parents and carers who want to get to the root of the problem and help boys to thrive in the manosphere. Whether you're a parent to a newborn, a teacher to an eight year old, or raising a teenager, you'll find plenty of advice here for you.©2026 The Estate of Angela Thirkell (P)2026 Little, Brown Book Group Limited Fatherhood Motherhood Parenting & Families Relationships Single Parents
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As a mother who is concerned about the impact that the Manosphere and social media may have on my sons, I am determined to educate them early and raise them to be ready to spot harmful content when they see it. This book is a wonderful guide for anyone raising boys (and girls, too) as it calls out society’s biases that are often harmful to our boys. It certainly forces me to hold a mirror up to my parenting choices (which I consider as ‘gentle’), and has given me a lot to reflect on - and I’m really grateful to Sarah Ockwell-Smith for that. I’m sharing it with all my mum friends.

An essential book for raising boys

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