Guys and emotions (father, member, issues, mother)

[yankeegirl313]

Some men are soft hearted and that's fine. Nothing wrong with that, but as chow said if they cry over spilled milk, that's another story.

[DauntlessDan]

I am NOT given to a lot of emotions these days. Not to say that I NEVER experience emotions. It's just that I have experienced so much in my life, tragedies, deaths, having to be strong for others, that it has hardened me a lot. The last time that I really expressed emotion was upon the death of a family pet that was VERY close, much like a family member. But men DO experience hormonal changes as they age. Some more than others.

[don1945]

Men who are afraid to show emotions are missing out on a huge part of life. I shed tears when something saddens me, and am not afraid to admit it. I have cried like a baby when one of my beloved pets died, and I hate sad movies.

For some reason, males are sometimes raised with the belief that "Men don't cry !" and that it is a sign of weakness if they do. Pure BS, I have seen tough cops, marines, and others cry when they have lost someone, and I respect them for doing it. I think it makes a man stronger to be able to admit he has feelings.

Nope, I feel it makes me a better man to be able to be sensitive and caring, and if tears are part of that, all the better.

Don

[tnff]

I don't think it's a question of "men don't cry." Rather, it's "men don't cry over useless, meaningless, trivial, nonsense." Every guy has experienced this sometime or another: Sister, classmate, girlfriend, wife, coworker, whatever, turns the waterworks on over every thing that happens. Then everyone is supposed to focus on her and fix her problem.

Nothing wrong with showing emotions over things that matter, like a birth, death, tragedy, etc. But not over "I can't decide between the blue dress or the red dress."

Just clean up the milk then get another glass.

[don1945]

I don't know many men who wear a red or blue dress..........except maybe Bruce Jenner !

What an ugly woman he makes !

Don

[Lilac110]

I think the whole "men shouldn't cry except at funerals" thing is EXTREMELY unhealthy.

Beyond Happiness: The Upside of Feeling Down

[allenk893]

God created the human soul. He cries. So we cry! If you weren't made to feel things and have tear ducts, you wouldn't have them. This whole machismo nonsense of men not crying because we're suppose to be strong and emotionless is a ridiculous western concept. This is why men get depression much more than women. They bottle up all those emotions and it explodes eventually or gets transferred into something destructive like drugs or alcohol. Let your emotions out. Cry if you need to and stop shaming yourself because you're a human.

[PDF]

Men can cry wherever and whenever. Let's not get ridiculous.

[animalcrazy]

We have a friend with that real tough guy mentality. Some where in his life he shut down emotionally unless you see him with an animal. He's a different person and I love that side of him. It's unfortunate that men are taught not to show emotion. I know you tough guys feel it inside. Why not allow yourself to be human? I don't care how tough you think you are, sooner or later life will catch up with you and you can't help but let that emotion out. It sure beats disappearing in a bottle or having a heart attack.

[gball721]

Originally Posted by SoundNinia

ok, i don't want this to be really long, but I feel bad that I feel period. Ill give an example, if you watched the superbowl commercials, you saw the nationwide insurance commercial. Yeah, that made me tear up. I don't like this. I feel like less of a man because I let some stupid commercial get me all emotional. Is it normal for guys to be this way? Maybe I am just hyper sensitive, I don't know, but I dont' like crying or being sad. I think that a man should cry when there is a funeral or something like that, not when you see that. Or like when I teared up when a girl in the phillapines asked the pope, "Why does God let children suffer", yeah I don't like that either. Is this normal for guys? I thought only girls got like this.

Hi SoundNinia. Your reactions to the commercials sound a lot like mine -- I'm a 43 year old male-- and I don't think it's anything to worry about. I also cried when dear loved ones passed away, of course, but I do sometimes cry at small stuff like commercials and sad stuff in movies too. I actually cried once when a little digitally animated troll (not even an actual live action character/not even a human/Person) died in one of the last Harry Potter movies!!! I think it just gripped my emotions and affected me to cry. I tear up sometimes to where a tear rolls down my cheek. I know that it's 'just the way that I am' and I don't worry about it. I don't think you need to worry about it.