The very worst thing about having sons has got to be the somewhat strident, always unsolicited advice that I receive on bringing up boys. All the conversations inevitably revolve around respect and sensitivity, the subtext being that boys are programmed to grow up into violent brutes, an inevitability that can only be averted by the intervention of everyone who has some free advice to dispense. There is a perennial stream of forwards and open letters to ‘mothers with sons’ which turns into an avalanche sometime around the Women’s Day. This year, on schedule, I was forwarded a particularly irksome...

The very worst thing about having sons has got to be the somewhat strident, always unsolicited advice that I receive on bringing up boys. All the conversations inevitably revolve around respect and sensitivity, the subtext being that boys are programmed to grow up into violent brutes, an inevitability that can only be averted by the intervention of everyone who has some free advice to dispense. There is a perennial stream of forwards and open letters to ‘mothers with sons’ which turns into an avalanche sometime around the Women’s Day. This year, on schedule, I was forwarded a particularly irksome...

The Quiet Ones Each class has them – the quiet ones who shun incessant chatter and need space. They speak when necessary, have just a few close friends and appreciate a little alone-time. They spend a lot of time thinking, listening, observing and are usually passionate about solitary activities like reading and drawing. The Extrovert As The Ideal They are called introverts. While it is neither illegal, nor immoral to be one, it might as well be – for all the effort that is made to convert them. They are constantly harried into taking part in noisy group activities and sports, dragged onto...