When you see a small child crying, it is natural to want to comfort them.

What would you do if you comforted your little cousin, but then his dad said not to do that because it could make his son weak?

That is what happened to the older cousin in this story, so he pushed back on dad saying that it is not the best way to raise a child.

Did he overstep, or was he right to say something?

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AITA for telling my little cousin it’s okay to cry even though his dad said I’m making him weak?

I (30M) was inside getting drinks when I saw my 9-year-old cousin sitting alone in the hallway crying.

I asked what was wrong, and he said another kid had made fun of him during a game.

I just sat with him and said something like, Hey, it’s okay to cry. That doesn’t make you weak. It means you’re human.

This was very kind and clearly comforting.

He didn’t say much, but he leaned on me a bit and just sat there.

I honestly didn’t think twice about it.

Later, his dad pulled me aside and said I shouldn’t teach his son to be soft. He said, boys don’t cry, they figure it out, and told me I was confusing him with modern parenting crap.

Maybe don’t assume you know what is best for every kid.

I told him I wasn’t trying to step on toes, but also it’s 2025, and maybe telling boys to bottle it up isn’t doing anyone any favors.

Now my aunt texted me saying I should’ve stayed out of it and that I made her husband look bad in front of the family.

It was nice to console him.

Honestly, I didn’t mean to cause drama. But the kid looked like he just needed someone to say it was okay to feel something.

So..
AITA for telling my little cousin it’s okay to cry when his dad clearly doesn’t agree?

No, but now that you know what the parents want, it is time to back off.

Let’s see what the people in the comments on Reddit say about it.

This person says dad should feel embarrassed.

Yeah, he didn’t know Dad’s rules.

LOL. This person makes a good point.

This commenter says kids need to not bottle things up.

This person says guys who don’t cry have issues.

Parenting is hard, but comforting a child is not.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.