Juggling Being a Crier and a Mommy

I am a crier. Being in control of my tear ducts is not one of my strengths. Although this was not helped by pregnancy hormones, I was a crier long before I was pregnant and I still am.
I don’t just cry when I am sad. I’ve also been known to cry when I’m angry. This was confusing for my friends as a child. I nearly backhanded more than one poor girl who tried to comfort me while I was furious.

But that’s not all. I cry when I’m worn out and stressed too. Often pretty easily. This has sometimes very awkward. I have made many doctors (and 1 dentist) feel confused and perhaps even a little uncomfortable when they have just told me I am fine. And probably just have a viral infection or I need some antibiotics (with the dentist I had a cavity). At any rate I was given information that is completely minor in severity and I am reduced to tears.

Dental visits have their own special talent for making that reaction even more embarrassing, particularly when I already know I am nervous before I have even sat in the chair. A routine examination can feel strangely intimidating when you are waiting for someone to tell you whether that tiny twinge is nothing, a cavity, or something that will require considerably more work.

I have sometimes found myself worrying over every little sound and wondering whether I am about to hear bad news, even when there is no real reason to panic. Walking into a practice such as Irvine Dental Care would not magically switch off that anxiety, but having a dentist explain what they are seeing and what needs to happen next can make the whole experience feel much less mysterious. Knowing what to expect, being able to ask questions, and having someone take those nerves seriously can make it easier to get through an appointment without turning a perfectly ordinary dental checkup into an emotional event.

I even cried in the front row of a 10 person University class with a disproportionately high workload when we were unable to persuade the professor that we needed an extension for our 30 page paper because it would throw off his schedule. Looking at this, you might think that I cry all the time. And although that is not actually true I do end up crying in front of my son and my handicapped brother more often than I would really like.

I actually think that it’s good for kids to see their parents have emotions and deal with them. I just wish my son didn’t have to have this valuable learning experience quite so often.

Because of my brother I’ve had to deal with this issue for a long time. It causes him distress to see anyone, but especially me, upset. So I am well practiced in the art of crying while assuring someone else that everything is still okay.
Usually what I say is “I’m feeling sad. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes. But I’m okay. I’m just feeling sad right now.” If I can explain why, then try to do that too, but that’s not always easy.

I’d love to know about some other strategies that I could use. What do you do when you cry in front of your kids?