Do we believe that a weak Man is a Man who is soft-spoken, peace-loving, and a Man who cries out for help when he is in deep physical or emotional pain?
Do we believe that a Man cannot nurture and love and therefore cannot raise children by himself?
Do we believe that a strong Man is a Man who is aggressive and who suffers in silence when he is in deep physical or emotional pain?
Boys – Our Sons – emerge from the womb with the same full set of emotions as Girls – Our Daughters. We give Our Daughters emotional freedom to express their hurt and pain. YET, Our Sons are socialized to suppress their pain. Men who consistently suppress their hurt and pain either explode – commit acts of violence, or implode — commit suicide to end their pain or self-medicate with alcohol, food, drugs, or sex.
In January 2017, Let’s rethink how we are socializing Our Sons and shaping their concepts about strength, vulnerability, and masculinity.
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This article originally appeared on Global Fatherhood Dialogue
Feature photo credit: Getty Images. Other photos courtesy of the author.
How sad is it that the way I first heard about this wasn’t through someone talking positively about it or offering support but rather from bitter Tumblr user saying that you bring this up on their feed they will block you. That’s what we are up against. This idea that men and boys are doing well so the only thing that needs to be done for them is to reeducate them to do right by women and girls. Boys and men are expected to ignore their emotional wellbeing for the sake of being “real men” that literally work themselves to… Read more »