Book review: "Real Boys" by William Pollack

I didn't read all of "Real Boys," a 1998 book by William Pollack; I quit after about 110 pages because the book was awfully repetitive. The author kept making the same points over and over and over. A lot of it was redundant. And repetitive.

I think you get my point.

That is not to say there's nothing in this book that's worthwhile. Pollack's main theme is that boys are more vulnerable and sensitive than we realize, and we need to find ways to reach them. In Pollack's view, today's parents are doing it all wrong.

To connect with boys, Pollack recommends:

• At least once a day, give your boy your undivided attention
• Encourage your boy to express a full range of emotions
• When a boy expresses vulnerable feelings, avoid teasing or taunting him
• Avoid shaming language (e.g. "What happened?" is better than "How could you do that?")
• Look behind a boy's anger to find out how he needs help
• Express your love and empathy openly and generously

There you go, I just saved you from reading 400 pages.

It's hard to argue with a message to be more caring and loving, but sometimes Pollack goes too far. At one point, he says, "You simply can't give your boy too much positive reinforcement."

Really? I was just reading a different book that said you absolutely can give too much positive reinforcement. It's not too hard to come up with examples of over-praise. Would Pollack support this?: "Hey son, way to go spending all day long in your darkened room playing misogynist video games. I'm proud of you!"