Mom fears being judged for crying in front of her 9-year-old son — fellow parents had her back

One mother's honest confession about crying in front of her 9-year-old son has prompted an outpouring of support online. On a community website, Mumsnet.com, the mom admitted to crying in front of her "whiny child" and was worried that she might be labeled as "emotionally manipulative." This incident also highlights some major concerns about the challenges of tough parenting. In her post titled 'Do you let yourself cry in front of your kids?', the woman revealed that her son was going through a whiny phase one morning, and she couldn't contain her emotions.

The woman confessed to getting emotional when her son spoke rudely to her while asking about the choice of clothes for school that day. As reported by People Magazine, she wrote, “I burst into tears and I told [him] that I had had enough of his whining every single bloody day, and [that] he was making me feel extremely, extremely unhappy.” The unidentified mother further clarified, “I told him this was getting silly and asked him to stop and to pull himself together, and if there was nothing really wrong to please stop [and] consider how he was talking to me." In no time, the little boy was in good behavior and completed all his work before leaving for school.

The mother then said that she felt bad and feared she would be labeled an emotionally manipulative mother. Further in her post, the woman went on to reveal that her mother never cried in front of her children. As soon as she posted her thoughts on the website, fellow parents rushed to assure her that her reaction was only reasonable. One woman, Kimberley Clark, commented, "I think it’s fine as long as it’s not for emotional manipulation, which it wasn’t in your case, you had just got to the end of your tether."

Another person, who goes by the username Happycow, opined, "I think it’s a good thing (not all the time obviously, or to be manipulative as people says), but they need to understand that you're not a parental robot that they can treat however they want - you do get overwhelmed/frustrated, etc. Especially at 9 years old. He wouldn't speak to friends/teachers that way." Seconding the above comment, Mistyglade said, "I don’t think you’ve done any harm, he needs to see you’re a person with feelings. My DS (Dear Son) is 9 and aware of his behaviour and its impact. You sound like a very good mum, don’t you dare beat yourself up!" ClaySquish also said, "The fact you're even questioning this means you're a good Mum, I reckon."

Several others in the comment section shared similar experiences with their kids. Additionally, a poll below the post revealed that the majority of the people, 88%, believed the mother wasn't being unreasonable and wasn't wrong to cry in front of her son. This incident also highlights the stress that comes with parenting, especially when your children are stubborn or relentless in their ways. Parents always wish to keep their children safe and happy. However, sometimes, the tantrums kids throw could make any parent feel helpless, resulting in doubts about their parenting. We couldn't emphasize the importance of instilling values in your children early on, so they grow up to be well-rounded individuals.