I just found out my 11-year-old brother and his friends are objectifying women and I feel lost
I’m an older sister, and I just found out that my little brother (11) and his friends (11–14) have been behaving and talking in very inappropriate ways toward girls (comments about their bodies, ranking girls’ chests, looking at pictures of girls wearing very little, etc.).
In our family, we were raised with pretty strict values about respect, modesty, and how to treat women, so I’m honestly shocked and disappointed. Our parents are going to take this seriously and talk to them, but I’m scared about how this might affect their development and how much influence groups of boys have at that age.
I’d really like to hear from people who’ve been through something similar:
- Has anyone experienced this with a younger brother/son/cousin?
- How was it handled?
- Did the boys grow up into respectful adults after going through this phase?
- What actually helped in concrete terms?
I’m very angry and a bit lost right now, so please avoid answers like “boys will be boys.”
Thanks for you help