Giving Compass' Take:

• Doyin Richards at Mashable argues that eliminating toxic masculinity in our culture needs to begin with parents and how they raise their kids. He lists 3 ways every parent can dismantle this dynamic. 

• How can schools also use these methods to break down toxic masculinity in schools? 

• Learn about the problem with a fight against toxic masculinity. 

Youth sports are often pure chaos. I’m the head coach of two girls’ basketball teams and I’ve seen my share of wild behavior. There are coaches cursing at referees like the NBA championship is on the line, and parents who think their 5-year-old is headed for a full basketball scholarship at Stanford just because she can dribble a ball without falling down. But one thing I witnessed a couple of years ago really shocked me.

My oldest daughter was a kindergartner and her basketball team played their very first game against an all-boys team. I didn’t think anything of the matchup, but then I noticed the behavior of the players. The boys on the other team laughed, pointed, and said, “HA! We’re playing girls! This is going to be easy!” These were 5-year-old kids talking smack, so I didn’t give it too much attention, but I did think to myself: They must’ve learned somewhere that they are superior to girls.

Read the full article on eliminating toxic masculinity in our children by Doyin Richards at Mashable