Dear Dane,

Crying is normal for all of us to do from time to time. Unfortunately, we continue to live in a culture that teaches boys not to be emotional or show their feelings. This results in a lot of emotional problems for boys and men. When we don’t express our emotions in a healthy way, those feelings build up and often result in anger, depression, and/or anxiety. So while it may not be “normal” for boys to show their emotions, expressing your feelings in an appropriate way is a sign of good emotional health.

If you find that you feel like crying every now and then in response to depressing situations in your life, there’s no need for concern. If this occurs very frequently and/or you find yourself crying and you don’t know why, checking in with a counselor would be a good idea. This might be a counselor at school, a clergy at your place of worship, or a private therapist. A trained professional can help you to determine if additional counseling would be useful.