The first "For context" explanation is better how I originally wrote it:
"here, I use the word "man" and I mean man"
Because - children also have genders (duh) and the word "man" makes a clear distinction between that and "boy"
IDEK why I changed it to "male" - perhaps to further emphasize the gender part.
This happens to me a lot BTW:

1. I write something
2. I re-read it, am not 100% happy with the wording or think something is ambiguous, edit it
3. I post/publish it
4. I re-read it again a day or two later and realize how I wrote it in the first place was actually a better way to say what I wanted to say :)