Mental illness is finally being brought to the front burner, but not for all people.

If we go back hundreds of thousands of years women are seen and physically proven to be the more emotional sex, whereas men are the stronger more physical sex. Growing up men are taught to be masculine and not show emotion and this is possibly the worst way to grow up.

Being told to hold in the tears from the tender age of 2, or constantly hear "it will be fine" "boys don't cry" conditions little boys to hold in natural emotion. Holding in normal feelings is unnatural and it leads to an inability of communication and even causes problems later on in relationships.

Having the majority of the society grow up like this doesn't help the epidemic we face of mental illnesses. Many of these boys feel like they cannot talk to anyone for fear of feeling "weak" and "feminine". Having no one to talk to, not getting a proper diagnosis, or even being properly medicated can lead to the inability to have healthy social lives, whether it be family or romantic relationships. In some of the worst cases, it can even lead to suicide.

With this being said we need to raise our children, especially little boys, that it is okay to cry and talk about feelings. The only way we can change this is if we nip it from the start.

Be there for your boys. Let them be who they want to be. Most importantly listen and look for signs that something may be wrong because men hurt too.