Crying is not ​a weakness

Crying is not ​about weakness and not crying doesn’t indicate strength. And it’s taken me more than 20 years to figure this out.

Something that I observed recently is that my son doesn’t cry. In fact, I don’t remember the last time he truly cried about anything – even when he was in pain from his surgeries he didn’t.

And here I am, highly sensitive and cry at random times about random things. It could be a commercial or some new talent getting the golden buzzer when I happen to catch in on the book of face.

Sometimes I cry hearing fire trucks going down the street, or I’m at a concert and something all oversudden overcomes me – and this can be the people I am there to see, a song or the someone’s energy in the room.

I used to hide this part because I didn’t have the luxury to come across as weak. I needed to remain a wall of strength to deal with the challenges that single parenting, blending families and being a special needs mom brought to the forefront.

I didn’t have the time to allow others in and tell them I don’t know how much more I can do or how much longer I can go on the way I had been. And I would hide in my bedroom and cry. I still do this.

I still hide away my tears when something affects me.

But as my son’s summer camp ended and expressed his feelings with words.

I think I’m going to cry. I am sad that camp ended.

That is how he shared his emotions. without tears. He verbalizes what he feels and then he carries on like all is well in the world. I sometimes envy him with that skill – its a gift from autism really.

But it got me thinking about crying and the way we view it. Crying is not ​about weakness because it’s simply a different way of expressing how we feel – because frankly sometimes words can’t describe it.

And some people don’t cry but that doesn’t mean they are always strong. They have moments of not feeling strong.

And whether it’s with words or with tears, its that moment of vulnerability that is powerful and allows you to share with someone else that you’re human.

So don’t be afraid to show the human side of yourself – in words or tears because you may just be someone that needs a gentle reminder that it is okay to feel – whatever it is you’re feeling.