It's a playground taunt — "girls rule and boys drool!" — or vise versa. But have you ever wondered why girls and boys have different parenting needs? Or why are boys becoming less and less motivated while girls seem to constantly be under pressure?

Leonard Sax, author of Why Gender Matters, Boys Adrift, and Girls on the Edge will offer answers to these questions and more during a free talk at Higland Park Middle School on Jan. 24. Sax, who is both a family doctor and a counselor, is an expert on adolescent development. 

The event is open to the public, with a workshop for parents of boys starting at 10 a.m. and a second workshop for parents of girls starting at 12:15 p.m.

Sax graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in biology, and then went to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned both a Ph. D. in psychology and an MD.  Sax has spent the past four years working with schools, school districts, and communities on issues of child and adolescent development. He plans to return to medical practice this year, although he will continue to do speaking engagements and lead workshops as time permits.

Find out more about Sax and his books on his website.