Boys Don’t Cry

A few days ago a conversation brought up some very old and painful memories from my childhood. The message I received was that “boys don’t cry!” If I began to cry in the presence of my father he would tell me, “If you don’t stop crying I will give you something to cry about.” That meant that his belt would come off and I would be beaten and then I would have something to cry about. I soon got the message that boys don’t cry.

It was quite another story if my sister cried. Father would try to comfort her. So it was ok and even expected that girls would cry but not boys. Is it any wonder that men today hold in their emotions? I was certainly not the only boy to be given the message that boys don’t cry. I think men still suffer from that message. I know that I do. If my emotions well up within me I subconsciously stifle the tears. I do not think it is healthy to  hold in your emotions all the time.