Woman: boo-hoo… [crying]
Woman’s friend: my friend why are you crying?
Woman: boo-hoo-hoo… [wailing]
Woman’s friend: it’s ok darling, stop crying [gives her some tissue]
Woman: boo-hoo-hoo-hoo… [still crying, rolling on the floor]
Woman’s friend: what’s the problem now! Talk to me!
Woman: I… It’s…. I’m…. [continues crying]
***
Man: boo-hoo… [crying]
Man’s friend: dude, why are you crying?
Man: [wipes away tears] Omo, nothing much jare. How far? Did you watch that match yesterday?
Man’s friend: meeen! It was bloody…..
***
LESSONS :-
1. Never ask a woman why she’s crying or tell her to stop crying. It causes “head swelling”….. More crying.
2. Instead, give her time to cry until she’s satisfied. Better still, cry along with her (get several boxes of tissue paper ready). She will most likely come back to you or call you when she feels better and she wants to talk.
3. Also, never ask a man why he’s crying. He won’t tell you the truth. The fact that he was caught crying is more depressing that whatever was depressing him before.
4. Play along with the sharp change in affect. Several days (or weeks) later, ask him again.
5. Crying is a step towards healing. It’s better to let out the emotions rather than remain caged within one’s worries or grief. So, it’s ok to cry, seek help and then, move on.
Khadijah Sanni-Tijani
AskDoctorKT 