Raising Boys to Be Real Men

Teach them to be confident protectors and providers with advice from an 1886 publication

Giving young boys tools to work with lets them learn skills and offers a vision for what they can do in the future. Smolina Marianna/Shutterstock

If you’re a young, marriageable woman these days—or even if you’re the parent or grandparent of one—you’ve probably asked the following question once or twice: “Where are all the good men?”

To be sure, there’s no shortage of males, but there just doesn’t seem to be the “real men” types—those who embrace masculinity and the protector and provider roles that traditionally come with it.