As long as you let them get rough. Boys need to “work out” their differences with muscles, if you tell them that they need to talk to other boys “about their feelings” they don’t have a clue what you are talking about.
I’m trying to think of any occasion of a boy’s talking about his feelings (other than hunger or desire to play a computer game, etc.). Nothing’s coming to me ...
Of course, I’d rather talk about politics, pets, or laundry than about feelings, too.
I have all boys. I found that they needed to fight among themselves and their friends from time to time. They would fight, then a half hour later they were playing again.
They learn that there is always somebody else bigger and stronger who can whoop them, negotiating skills, and the ability to drop a grudge when the fight is over.
I also think it is better for them to learn this young while the damage they can do to each other is limited to a bruise or a bloody nose.
Sounds archaic, but it works.
I have three sons. Yes, it’s true boys don’t talk about feelings, and they need to be very physical - horsing around, jumping, running, racing, etc.
But, while it’s important to learn how to fight, boys should be taught not to start a fight. I hope we’re all in agreement on that here. There’s a difference between roughhousing and fighting.
With sports, homeschool groups, etc., we’ve spent a lot of time with different families with sons. It always irked me to no end how many mothers would just sit and smile when their sons were taking the fighting too far. (By “too far,” I mean ganging up on one kid, or punching someone in the head unprovoked, or using moves that they may not know are dangerous like a headlock.) I began to wonder, Why don’t these mothers ever step in? I finally realized they were afraid to. When their kids were little and harmless, they didn’t discipline them. Now that they’re bigger, they can’t. So they’ll sit and say, “Boys will be boys.” But, the reality is, too many parents are chickens. ;-)