How to Turn a Boy Into a Man

How to Turn a Boy Into a Man

From The Art of Manliness by The Art of Manliness

May 26, 2026 · 1h 12m · Episode 810

About this episode

Jon Tyson discusses the importance of a rite of passage for young men and shares his experience creating a journey for his son to transition from boyhood to manhood.

Note: This is a rebroadcast. A lot of young men today struggle in finding their footing in adulthood. They feel lost, directionless, and unsure of who they are and how to confidently and competently navigate the world. Part of the reason for this is that most young men today lack something which was once a part of nearly every culture in the world, but has now almost entirely disappeared: a rite of passage. My guest today didn’t want his son to flounder on the way to maturity, nor to miss out on having an initiation into manhood, so he set out to create a 6-year journey for him that would help him move from boy to man. His name is Jon Tyson, and he’s the author of  The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character . Today on the show, Jon unpacks the components of the years-long journey into manhood he created for his son, beginning with how he brainstormed those components by doing “The Day Your Son Leaves Home” exercise. We then discuss how old Jon’s son was when he started his rite of passage and why it began with him having a “severing dinner” with his mom. We get into what his rite of passage consisted of, from the kickoff ceremony to the…

People in this episode

Host: The Art of Manliness

Guest: Jon Tyson

Topics covered

  • rite of passage
  • manhood
  • fatherhood
  • personal development
  • adulthood

Keywords

  • rite of passage
  • manhood
  • fatherhood
  • Jon Tyson
  • The Intentional Father

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character

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