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When women cry, those who know us best know exactly what to do: get out the ice cream, try their best to relate to us, and play an episode of Girls until the tears are replaced with laughter. But when a guy cries, things can get complicated. Here are 15 things you probably shouldn’t do when a man cries.

“Are you crying?”

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“Are you crying?”

You know he’s crying. You’re looking at his face. Don’t make him feel embarrassed about it by pointing it out.

Recruiting backup

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Recruiting backup 

He doesn’t want you to call his best friend right now or hit up his mom. You can handle this job. Even if you pretend that you can but you really don’t know how to, that’s enough for him.

The side pat

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The side pat

Don’t sit by his side and pat him on the back like you would a friend. The last thing a man wants is to feel that you’re being condescending. Give him a full frontal hug like you always do.

Pull out the tissue box

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Pull out the tissue box

Men don’t really mess with tissues when they cry. Somehow, they don’t get all snotty like we do and (naturally) their mascara doesn’t run. They would rather wipe the tears away on their own and move on.

 

 

Trying to make it stop

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Trying to make it stop

Don’t say “There, there” or blurt out whatever you can to make them feel better. That just makes them think you want them to stop ASAP. And that’s hurtful.

 

Changing the subject

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Changing the subject

You might think men don’t want to dwell on the reason they’re crying, but quickly changing the subject and asking what they want for dinner just tells them you don’t want to be there right now. And that’s cold.

“It’s not that bad”

If he’s crying, it is that bad–to him at least. Trying to convince him that “It’s not that bad” only makes him feel you don’t think his tears are valid. Offer support and a listening ear.