Why We Just Need to Let Them Cry.

She came home after school looking so sad.

I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. Her school art project got squished on the bus. Her brother accidentally sat on it. She wasn't mad at him. She was just really upset it was broken.

I had stuff to do. I was in the middle of making dinner. The puppy was getting into trouble.

My first instinct was to say "No big deal. We can build it again."

But I didn't.

I sat down, gave her a hug and let her cry. 

She's a happy kid. Loves to give, to laugh and to smile. But when she is sad, she cries. 

So often, we try to hold those emotions in, because we think crying will be seen as a sign of weakness. And so we (maybe unknowingly) teach our kids to:

"Stay strong'.

"Hold your head up."

"Suck it up cupcake."

But when in reality, they just need to cry. 

When they're babies, we spend our days trying to figure out why they're crying. Are they hungry, wet, tired? But as they get older and learn to communicate their feelings, we need to start listening to them.

You've been there before - feeling blah so you turn on a tear jerker movie and open up the flood gates. Feels good doesn't it? To have a good cry?

There are benefits to crying too....It can reduce stress and improve mood. 

And perhaps, if we tap into that feeling of sadness, we just might become more aware of feelings of happiness and gratitude.

Sometimes, we just gotta let them cry.