David Thomas, a psychologist, was attending an elderly grandpa’s funeral.
David watched as two of the man’s grandsons approached the casket. One boy, who was six years old, cried loudly. Beside him stood another boy– fourteen years old– who was holding back his tears.
David overheard some adults express concern about the crying six year old. But David was more worried about the silent older boy. While the six year old was clearly processing his emotions, the fourteen year old was bottling up feelings that would have to be dealt with eventually.
When your son goes through a loss or something difficult, be sure to help him process his feelings. Let him know that it’s more than OK for men to display emotions– after all, Jesus cried openly, too.
For more ideas on raising boys to be godly men, go to TrailLife USA or Raising Godly Boys.com.
