We have become so accustomed to expecting strength from men that we often forget they are human. When a man loses his job, the first question is, “What is your next plan?”
When he is struggling financially, the response is, “Be a man.” When he is breaking down inside, he is told, “Men don’t cry. “But who checks on the man that everyone depends on? Consider the father who pretends that everything is fine. The husband carrying bills no one knows about.
The young man trying to build a future while constantly being asked, “When will you make it?” We celebrate men when they succeed. But we rarely stand with them while they are still becoming. Many men carry responsibilities they never asked for.
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They smile in public and joke with friends. But at night, they calculate bills, worry about their families, and wonder if they will ever be enough. The saddest part is that many men have been taught that asking for help is a sign of weakness.
So they suffer in silence. Not because they do not need support, but because they do not believe anyone wants to hear about their pain. Perhaps this is why some men become emotionally distant.
Perhaps they are not cold. Perhaps they are just tired. And maybe the strongest man in the room is the one carrying the heaviest burden without letting anyone see it.
SANDRA DANIEL
