The One Small Thing My Son Does Every Day That Means So Much

My son just turned 15 and can be loud and selfish like all teens can be. He struggles with showing emotion and is drawn to big, muscular men who, to him, embody what he should be – tough, masculine, show no emotion. I know him well enough to see he doesn’t think he is allowed to have any soft edges, make mistakes, or appear to be vulnerable.

He feels like it’s not okay to show emotion. He struggles with showing compassion.

His father and I recognized this in him when he was 11 and he changed...