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How mothers of young men are handling #MeToo

Some moms of young men are reconciling #MeToo with the instinct to protect their sons.

It’s been 133 days since Harvey Weinstein was outed as a serial abuser and harasser of women. Nearly every day since that story broke, more men in more professions have been accused of, admitted to, or denied shocking acts of aggression, exploitation, harassment, and prejudice toward women in the workplace.

No company is immune — including VICE. It has affected our workplace too.

Here and everywhere, people are doing what they always do to make sense of things: talking. To capture the kinds of conversations happening in America’s workplaces, we gathered lawyers, actors, technologists, construction workers, and hospitality workers, and asked them about the new reality of #MeToo: Women, Men, and Work.

The #MeToo movement has these moms scared. As the parents of college athletes, they are cheerleaders for their sons' ambitions but also their mentors in how to be responsible young men in the #MeToo era. How do they reconcile a movement that's finally giving a voice to female trauma with the instinct to protect their sons?

VICE News Tonight sat down with mothers of college athletes, powerful and seemingly untouchable figures on their respective campuses, to find out how the #MeToo movement has impacted their parenting approach.

What are the uncomfortable conversations they are having? How are they teaching their boys the meaning of consent? How far are they going to make sure their boys don’t end up in the #MeToo spotlight?