Photo: Rido, Shutterstock
The word “crybaby” evokes a certain image: a child who seems to tear up over things of little consequence, multiple times a day, and for several minutes per cry session — and who seems too old to do so. There is a societal expectation that by a certain age, maybe around the time they start kindergarten or first grade, kids shouldn’t be melting down quite so much. After that point, they are officially “crybabies.”
Some kids
do simply cry more than others. They may naturally be more sensitive, more emotionally intense, or are still learning how to regulate their emotions. The goal should never be to eliminate their crying, though. Boys in particular receive messages from all around them that “big boys” don’t cry, crying is a babyish or girly way to express emotions, or that crying means they are weak. We have to be careful about the messages we relay to our kids — and allow others to relay to them — about their crying, especially for those who are more prone to tears.