I believe that one of the most foolish and damaging things that a father can tell his son is that men are not supposed to openly show their emotions under any circumstances. They say that as if doing so makes a man somewhat less of a man. And so, I believe that a lot of young boys and men walk around with a lot of pent-up frustration and hurt inside simply to protect their ego or macho image to live up to what their fathers told them. For some who do show their emotions openly, there always seems some sort of embarrassment and shame associated with it, and they always feel that they need to apologize for their behavior.
My personal feelings on the matter is that whether a person is a young boy or a man, he is still a human being with feelings and emotions. I will boldly tell any boy or man to never be ashamed to show how you feel, and never apologize to anyone for openly showing those feelings. For a man to openly show his emotions does not in any way detract from him being a real man, but actually, in my humble opinion, shows how much of a real man he truly is. If anyone needs to apologize for anything, it should be those who are so unloving and so uncaring to expect the boy or man to hold all of their feelings and emotions on the inside.
Personally, if I am happy, I smile and laugh. But, if I am sad, upset, or hurt, I cry. I will not today, tomorrow, or at any other time be made to feel ashamed, or made to feel that I am any less of a man for doing so. Furthermore, I do not feel that I owe anyone an apology for openly showing my emotions, nor will I ever offer such an apology.
Of Common Sense 