How many men have heard this phrase growing up: “Big boys don’t cry”? It probably scarred entire generations, resulting in men who can’t properly regulate their emotions and can never express their feelings freely. There seemed to be a change coming with this new generation of parents, but one mother recently shifted the conversation back 50 years.
When she shared a video of herself telling her son to “be a big boy” and to not cry, another father @theblackbarrys reacted with his own take. “A man who can’t control his emotions is doomed to fail,” he explained, sparking a conversation about emotional validation for boys.
Bored Panda wanted to get an expert’s opinion on the situation, so, we’ve reached out to parent coach and holistic counselor Alita Blanchard. She kindly agreed to tell us why it’s important to guide children through emotional regulation and what are the right ways to respond to tantrums or meltdowns. Read her expert insights below!
