BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Creativity Hi All!

Hi All,

I, too, suffer from writer's block. Added to that, I have ADD, so procrastination, and attending to tasks are difficult for me (as is writing an article I don't have direct experience with...for example, I have 2 sons, but neither date or drive...follow me?)

Would love topic ideas??

Thanks,
M.

Wonderful! We have a target to work on! Thanks for posting

So, let's see. Sons. I have a son How about:

* movie reviews
You can review any movie that has a boy in it and talk about how the child's relationship with his parents, friends and others is portrayed and if it's realistic or not.

For example - Eragon. He was always cheerful with his uncle and cousin. Realistic?

How about Harry Potter? Another living-with-the-uncle with a cousin.

And Luke Skywalker. Living with the uncle. No cousin.

Just what is this saying about boys and the movies? The first three things I thought up with teen boys in them *all* have absent "real" parents. Is this the way the media handles boys? They're in search of their real role models?

What other movies have been around recently with boys in them, that might do a better job of providing a healthy role model for boys who watch them?

Book Reviews -
the same things, read a popular book that involves boys in it and see how they are portrayed. Are they something you would want boys to emulate? Or are they unhealthy role models?

TV shows too

The only show I saw that I can think of with a boy was Monk; the old nurse had a boy who was 11 I think. But then they kicked her off the show and brought on a new helper with a girl. None of the other shows I watch have boy characters in them. Hmmmmm.

OK, next. "real" book reviews, i.e. books on parenting. There are always TONS of those publishers who want reviews written. Post one or two reviews that you get from the library, then write other publishers and ask them for review copies and give them links to the reviews you've written. That way they know you do actually write reviews.

Boys and violent video games. Most violent video games are played by males of the mid-teen to mid-twenties ages. What do you think of the trend? You could probably get interviews with game makers and educators and do a whole series on this, it would be very popular.

Boys and chivalry. Many movies recently are emphasizing chivalric ideals of the past - the Lord of the Rings series, the many Arthurian movies etc. It's always the men who are chivalrous, the women are the passive recipients of it Again you could do a whole series talking about each movie, about the real history of chivalry and how modern boys are affected by these ideas. And then ...

Should modern boys BE chivalrous? Should they hold open doors for women, or does this upset women who feel they can open their own doors? Should they pay for the date, or does this annoy women who earn their own living? How do they react to the mixed messages? You could do a whole article on each situation.

Boys and dating. Another easy never-ending series, with the whole "how do I ask her out" and "how do I know she likes me" and "when is it OK to kiss her" step by step. Especially because nowadays the boy will get blamed if he tries to kiss her and she doesn't want to be but she sends mixed messages that she does.

choosing your first razor. Many women are single mothers and honestly don't know how to start their son shaving.

classic boy fiction. The things like the hardy boys, treasure island etc. that boys are often "supposed to read"

talking with boys about smoking. It's marketed as "manly" to boys.

talking with boys about drinking. another vice many boys fall into as "manly".

Do articles on a variety of role models - in wrestling, NASCAR, baseball, football, etc. Google searches can tell you who's popular. Talk about what they've done and why they're a good role model (or not).

Articles on steroids and so on, why they are bad.

Activity articles on fun things to do with your sons - how to get into biking, hiking, birding, astronomy etc. - anything that seems like fun with sons.

craft ideas to do with your boys, building a birdhouse, building your own board game, making a volcano

For the movies if you join Netflix it's $9.99/mo for as many as you can watch. Also many libraries have a large collection for free, so you can easily go through tons of movies in a month for free

Boys clothing - I used to search to find the best buys in jeans - where do you go?

How about the different stages of parental relationships that son's have? When their little they are so dependent on their moms, and then they shift to the male figure.

You could look at the daughter's site and improvise some of those topics...

Different cultural views of sons...

Famous sons... Bush and Bush may not be a good start...

About Sons on TV, watch *Malcolm in the Middle* and do a review about how they relate to their parents and each other. it's an extremely smart 1/2 hour show, and each son (there are five by the end of the series) have completely different personalities. The point of view is from Malcolm, the middle child, whose IQ is nearly too high to measure (but this doesn't seem to help him much in real life).

Interestingly, the father of all these boys is really just another son to the mother, who is definitely the one wearing the pants.

I don't even have kids and I really enjoy this show. It's funny and almost subversively clever. The show is syndicated at this point and is all on day on different channels. You could write up a different article for each son, and how they relate to their mother, father, each other and the world/school, plus an overview article. And the father also being a large overgrown boy/another son to the mother is also fodder for writing.

Coming of Age is a huge topic for sons in the media. George Lucas, for example, based his Luke Skywalker character on Joseph's Campbells' tenets of the archetypical Journey of the Hero.

In luke's case, he is actually trying to follow in the footsteps of who he thought his father was (until he finds out the truth). And at the end, he comes full circle, saying proudly, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

Whereas in the new Battlestar Galactica, the Admiral and his son are love each other but are at constant odds, with Lee Adama trying to make his own mark by choosing different paths than his well-known war hero father would wish. Which actually, ironically, makes him more like his father that he realizes.

More thoughts - in which movie does Harry Potter come of age? What is his journey of growth? How does he grow over the series? You can even compare his journey to Draco Malfoy's, and how the different choices they make are related to their own parent's points of view.

This is such a fruitful topic to mine. :-)

Oooo I really like the cultural idea. How are sons treated in Japan? In China? In France? Different cultures have different expectations for how a son behaves. Each culture could get its own article.

Also you could do a whole article on each holiday that is son related. Japan has a Boy's Day dedicated to sons where they fly fish flags.

This is cool! Love these ideas--you'll be busy for months at least! I have a son, too--all grown up now (he's 20)

Here are some ideas from me:

Teaching your sons to cook. A great mother-son activity, plus loads of educational opportunities. Pies are great for fractions!

I would say teaching sons to clean, but I failed miserably at that! LOL--my son is a messy Marvin. He's a mechanic now & I went to his work and his toolboxes are all organized, neat and clean. His room always looked like one you see on those "clean house" shows -- before!

Reviews of boy toys such as skateboards, video games, bicycles, and so on.

Part-time jobs for boys--my son mowed lawns from about 12 years old, worked part-time at Kroger at 15. Maybe some labor laws info about what ages kids can do what type of work? And, what hours--they are really restricted until about 16 years old.

Driving is uber-important. I'd be happy to do a guest article for you on how we taught our teens to drive---essentially, from the time they got their permit we let them drive us around for that year in all sorts of conditions. But, I talked to them about it forever. And, many states have restricted licenses now. Plus, many teens have accidents when they are changing radio stations or talking on the phone, so distractions are something that needs to be stressed.

When to buy them cellphones--I see elementary school kids with them now? Is that okay? My response to my kids was that they didn't need a phone (until they were driving) because I always knew where they were. Evidently that wouldn't work today!

Teaching financial responsibility. Savings accounts, allowances, what they should pay for themselves (cellphones, driving expenses (gas & insurance), expensive clothes, etc.), budgeting, checking accounts, and there are even some good resources you could review--Rich Dad, Poor Dad is one that comes to mind that would fit very well with your site topic.

How to get them to eat vegetables! (Maybe review Jessica Seinfeld's book on pureeing them?) Or, maybe just general info on nutrition. Healthy snacks! Oooh, what to do when they hit that puberty growth spurt and start eating non-stop for a few years? (My son went from 5'7 to 6'0 in just over one year! He went from a size 9 shoe to a 13. You could almost see him grow! Now, he's like 6'3")

How to get them to be more active. If your son doesn't play sports, how does he get exercise? Very important, especially for dealing with the roller-coaster emotions of growing up. Essentially, it's great therapy.