I've long suspected that some medical professionals have succeeded in "hardening" themselves emotionally, because if they didn't, they'd go crazy from all the illness and death they see.  So when they saw the OP crying they were reacting defensively because deep down they realize, perhaps with regret, that they never allow themselves to cry, at least not where others can see them.  IMO, it's quite sad, that callous attitude -- and it's one of the reasons I'm happy I don't work in the medical profession. 

Last edited by White Tulip (February 28, 2016 2:18 am)

I tend to feel really awkward about being comforted or having my crying acknowledged in any overt way.  I usually just let my tears flow unchecked and go on as if nothing was happening.  My husband, who knows me pretty well, usually goes along with this. 

Actually, the last time I cried (it was probably about a month ago) I was talking to my husband on the phone -- he was traveling overseas for work.  Because of the time difference he ended up calling me very early in the morning and I was lonely, tired, slightly hungover, and stressed out about a project I was working on.  His trip also fell over a date that was somewhat important to both of us and while, in principle, I was completely okay with observing it alone, in reality I was a bit upset about it.

In the middle of talking about something totally mundane, I noticed this tickle in the corner of my eye and felt a tear run down my cheek.  It was totally unexpected. My thought was something along the lines of -- hmm, I guess I'm crying.  I continued to shed silent tears one after the other -- to the point where they rolled off my chin and kind of pooled in my collar bone.  I managed to keep my voice low and steady and when I felt my lip or my voice start to wobble I would pause for a second before moving on.  At one point, my husband said I sounded "sad," but I told him I was just tired.  I'm not sure whether he could tell I was crying or not.

To some extent, I think my interest in male crying stems from a desire to be more open and comfortable with my feelings.  In the same way that I think most people tend to fall for people who possess qualities they admire or aspire to, I develop crushes on guys who allow themselves to cry, while still maintaining some degree of control, because it's a trait I wish I had.

While my husband is not a big crier, he's a bit more sentimental and sensitive than I am.  He's much quicker to tear up at movie or a touching event or story -- which I still find incredibly charming and attractive.  

Last edited by Tristana (March 5, 2016 3:02 am)

First of all, I have never cried in public, in my whole adult life the only person who has seen me cry is my wife, who, answering your question, has been kind and compassionate most of the times I cried.

I have several stories but will stick with just one.
I lost a family member who was like a mother to me, at the moment my then fiancee had only seen me cry once (I had seen her cry several times by then) I was not even aware I was in the mood for crying.

She provided me the bad news, I did not react, I was in shock, she hugged me and told me to cry, said it would be good for me.

All of a sudden a wave of sadness hit me and unexpectedly I started crying and lightly sobbing, she immediatelly hugged me and started crying as well.

I remember feeling hot tears marking their way down my face while we were hugging, when all of a sudden she broke the embrace and, I don't remember seeing her hands approaching my face, she cupped my face with both hands and gently wiped my tears with her thumbs erasing the trails that streaked my cheeks.

I was in awe, as nobody had ever wiped my tears, it was one of the best feeling sensations in my life, I was even aroused by it.

At that moment I knew I loved being comforted physically by my wife and understood how she might have felt the multiple times I had wiped her tears.

Since then, I still don't like to cry, but when I do, I expect my wife to wipe my tears, which fortunately has happened.

Respect your last question, I almost always kiss and wipe my wife's tears when she cries.