By Dear Lagosians, Let’s Talk About Our Boys Today!
May 16th! Not just another day on the calendar.
Today, we pause to shine the light on a group often told to “man up” before they’ve even learned to cry out loud.
Happy International Day of the Boy Child.
Yes, the boy child. The one we sometimes forget needs soft words, safe spaces, and shoulders to lean on too.
Meet Ebuka.
14 years old. Tall, smart, and always trying to “be a man” like his father says.
But last month, his teacher noticed he was quieter than usual. No jokes. No smiles. Just silence.
When asked, he shrugged, “I’m fine.”
But he wasn’t.
He was drowning in the pressure of first son duties.
Helping his mother. Watching over siblings. Trying to ace school.
No one asked how he was coping. He is “a boy.” He’d be “alright.”
Dear Lagosians, this is why this day matters.
Our boys are told:
- “Big boys don’t cry.”
- “You must always be strong.”
- “Don’t be soft!”
But strength isn’t silence.
And emotions aren’t weakness.
Let’s Give the Boy Child More Than Rules. Let’s Give Them Room.
Room to:
- Feel without fear.
- Cry without shame.
- Dream beyond stereotypes.
- Learn kindness, not just toughness.
- Ask for help without being mocked.
Here’s How We Can Support Them:
Today is for Ebuka. For every young boy navigating Lagos, life, and expectations.
- Listen, really listen, ask how they’re doing and don’t brush it off.
- Normalize emotion, Tell your sons, brothers, nephews it’s okay to feel things deeply.
- Model good behavior, Show them respect, gentleness, and responsibility not just control.
- Educate them early about respect, consent, boundaries, and mental health.
- Celebrate them not just for toughness, but for kindness, creativity, growth.
Let’s remind them:
You don’t have to carry the world to be worthy. You are enough exactly as you are.
Dear Lagosians, the future starts with how we raise our boys today.
Let’s raise them well. Let’s raise them whole.
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