'Boys will be boys'

I've always despised that phrase. Absolutely despised it. As if its a free pass to suggest that 'yes that child may be an annoying brat and committing behaviours which no child should engage in but that's just how boys are!' as if to suggest that having something between your legs makes it acceptable to act like a twit. 

I actually thought of this during last weekend where I was in the library with my two younger siblings and I staggered upon this book

Now initially, I wanted to bash my head against the wall thinking of the possibilities that could be inside, wondering on what on earth in gods good earth could be driving them 'off the rails'.

Reading Palmers summary on her book was a grave mistake as I felt the need to gauge my eyes half way through, she describes how 

'Society as a whole becomes less and less boy-friendly as the years go by. The more built-up and traffic-ridden our city streets become, the less welcome children are to indulge in the free-range outdoor play that used to be every young human being’s birthright – and which is particularly important for an active, risk-taking young male.' 

Immediately, it is questionable as to why Palmer has the tendency to just fixate on the less 'boy-friendly' streets, as stated by Julian Greiner, do girls not get affected by not being able to go out and engage in physical activity? or is that just exclusively for 'risk-taking boys'?

 Palmer also states that 'In 21st century Britain, I think boys have been getting a rather worse deal than girls.',  she states that schools no longer have appropriate 'role models' for boys as if having another male somehow will prevent the child from being 'off the rails' because a boy can't possibly manage to be normal without. The entire book is full of contradictions, She says that she is not calling for ‘women to return to domestic servitude’, but is quick to blame mothers. To save you the pain from reading this; Palmer essentially spews rubbish about the poor lives of 21st-century boys while backing up no claims made, while there are of course innate differences between the genders, Palmer seems to state facts without actually relating them to one another. And the plain and obvious misogyny makes me worried for any parents who choose to follow the advice from this woman...