Weirdness: 'Boys don't cry'

@Shavkat (140119)
Philippines
February 19, 2021 8:36pm CST
This morning, I am having a class with my 10-year-old girl student. Her face showed weirdness when looking at the boy crying in the photo. I asked her why she stopped describing the photo. She claimed that 'Boys don't cry.' It seems the culture is still strong in her system. I explained that we are all humans. If we got hurt, it is normal to burst into tears, either physically or emotionally. Despite telling her this, she still insisted that boys can't do this. Do you encourage or nurture your kids that boys do not cry? Is it in your culture to inculcate this idea in kids? Image Credit: img.buzzfeed.com
12 people like this
13 responses
@rakski (126047)
• Philippines
20 Feb 21
Crying is expressing emotions. Boys that cry are strong because they can express their emotions freely
2 people like this
@rakski (126047)
• Philippines
20 Feb 21
@Shavkat oh yes, true
1 person likes this
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
20 Feb 21
I never pushed the issue or statement that boys don't cry. It seems everyone cries sometime no matter if they shed an actual tear.
2 people like this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
20 Feb 21
I agree. I guess some countries are trying to continue the old culture to their clans. I had once experienced working in a Muslim country before and they teach their kids not to cry.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (38166)
• Philippines
24 Feb 21
It's a cultural thing I guess. We do have that kind attitude/thinking many years ago but today we are softening about it as we accept that its not a girl thing.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (38166)
• Philippines
24 Feb 21
@Shavkat Even today we men usually fee awkward seeing ourselves crying because of that stigma "that men don't cry" tag. That is why even if we have that idea that it's okay to cry when we feel hurt we still control our feelings and avoid crying.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
24 Feb 21
@rsa101 Since I am in the medical field, I noticed that I am not a cry baby anymore. There are times that I am feeling blue over something but I prefer to cry alone in a room. I agree that it is still a stigma.
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
24 Feb 21
My grandparents are like this before. They always insinuate the differences between girls and boys. Nowadays, some of them had changed their way of thinking about this.
1 person likes this
@May2k8 (18391)
• Indonesia
20 Feb 21
As hard as possible a boy endured the trials, but the tears remained unbearable. We just let them cry.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137634)
• United States
20 Feb 21
That was the prevailing thinking when I was growing up. My daughter saw me cry for different things while she was growing up. She knows boys have the same emotions that girls do.
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
20 Feb 21
A dangerous lesson to try and teach either gender. Boys or girls.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
21 Feb 21
I do agree with you. Other genders can be difficult to explain to them.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
21 Feb 21
@prinzcy (32305)
• Malaysia
20 Feb 21
I used to think like that when I was really young too. I blame it on the elders who keep saying things like that. It took me a while to change that mindset.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
21 Feb 21
I am sure this kind of thinking still exists in Asians and other countries. Through the years, they will embrace the new culture to accept this fact.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (137775)
• India
20 Feb 21
Boys do not cry as much as girls do but they surely cry and it is good for them if they do
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
21 Feb 21
I am sure boys do cry. They can hide it or not. There is no need to be ashamed.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (49723)
• Mojave, California
20 Feb 21
I get its kind of funny, it is what we are taught but just to showcase because she overly cries. Everyone cries, just do it in the right spots. How Big buddy would teach it the legend of the German Shepherd Named Tristan would do. Anyway tell female German Shepherd just tell her there is no crying in baseball, now brother and sister use it and works amazingly well. Its a you better have a reason to cry. We tough cookies. or at least pretend to be.
@ShyBear88 (59347)
• Sterling, Virginia
20 Feb 21
As a mom I tell my kids it’s more then okay to feel what you feel. We all cry and we all have pain so it is normal for everyone to cry. Next time you should ask do babies not cry? We all cry as babies even baby boys cry it’s part of nature. Just because you haven’t seen a boy cry doesn’t mean they don’t.
@amnabas (14687)
• Karachi, Pakistan
20 Feb 21
Thats weird thoughts ...why they can't express out?
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
20 Feb 21
Because they are living in China. Most traditional families teach their kids not to be expressive especially for their boys.
@Rashnag (30592)
• Surat, India
21 Feb 21
No. It's sad that still some people or children believe in age old theories. I don't encourage any such thoughts. You take care
@nzlz123 (6473)
• Indonesia
21 Feb 21
Well boys are human too. They have emotions too. Just because they're boys doesn't mean they have to tough all the time. And that is really a stereotype that we have to delete from their mindset
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (140119)
• Philippines
21 Feb 21
I hope traditional people can change their mindsets.