"Adolescence" Netflix: Raising Healthy Men In a Toxic World | The Real Crisis Facing Our Sons Today

If you watched the Netflix show Adolescence in shock and awe - you're not alone. And if you're the parent of boys, it probably hit harder than you thought - at least it did for us.

In this Father’s Day special episode - and a Forties Formula first! - Jasmin Dhillon and Amanda Lim welcome their debut male guest: DR. NEIL FORREST, GP and dad of two, alongside returning guest DR. EMMA WADDINGTON, clinical psychologist.

Together, they talk about the emotional lives of boys—and how we, as parents, caregivers, and culture shapers—can help them grow up with both strength and softness.

🧠 What We Explore:

• Why “good boy” messaging can be just as limiting as “man up”
• How boys develop (or don’t develop) emotional language—and what to do about it
• Why emotional literacy isn’t soft—it’s essential (especially in adolescence)
• The role of fathers—and father figures—in shaping self-worth and safety
• How to stop passing on shame around tears, anger, and vulnerability

If you’re raising sons, co-parenting with a man, or even unpacking your own childhood stories about “being good” and “not crying,” this episode will challenge and comfort you in equal measure. Listen now anywhere you get your podcasts.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro: Our first male guest + why we're talking about the boys

04:20 How boys are socialised to suppress emotion

09:40 “Good boys” vs. emotionally healthy boys

14:15 Helping sons name and express feelings

19:50 What boys need to feel safe showing vulnerability

24:00 The invisible curriculum dads (and moms) pass on

28:10 How gendered praise limits emotional growth

33:45 Rewriting the script for the next generation

40:00 Final reflections: less fixing, more feeling

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