One Thing You’ve Had to Unlearn From Your Own Childhood

I grew up believing emotions were either weakness or rebellion.

If you cried, you were soft.

If you questioned something, you were disrespectful.

So when our kids showed big emotions — sadness, anger, confusion — my first instinct was to shut it down.

Not out of cruelty… but out of habit.

But one day, my son was crying over something that seemed small.

And I caught myself starting to say, “You’re fine.”

But I stopped.

And instead, I asked, “Do you want to talk about it or sit with me quietly?”

He didn’t answer.

But he didn’t leave either.

He just curled up beside me.

That moment showed me the power of presence over platitudes.

I’ve had to unlearn a lot.

To relearn that strength isn’t silence.

That healthy masculinity makes space for emotion.

That modeling vulnerability builds trust, not weakness.

God doesn’t dismiss our pain — and I shouldn’t either.