Marin Voice: Taking a closer look at emotional development of boys

I still remember Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s son in tears as his dad accepted the VP nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Many people I know were moved. Others derided it online. Few were aware that his son also has some neurological challenges, but even without that awareness, the different responses were telling. In the Walz family, tears are totally acceptable. For many in our country though, boys “just shouldn’t cry.”

There is a normative belief of many that when boys cry it reveals weakness.