“She would tell me make sure you have friends who are girls before you have girlfriends.” — This is quite possibly the best advice for young men who wish to have successful and fulfilling relationships in the future based on a partnership and not patriarchy. I went to sleepaway camp for two months every summer, starting at 10. I learned how to be friends with women, really friends, before I was interested in them as more. That dynamic is very important before puberty. Thank you for this. Your mother was so ahead of her time and it’s sad we’ve come virtually nowhere since then.