Part 1: Dad Blue, Still Cool? Help Reduce the Stigma

Like the popular Australian TV Program called MythBusters? Want to be tough and cool for your kids? Worried that you'll lose face with your colleagues, kids or someone you love? Help reduce the stigma 1) by informing yourself, 2) through education, awareness and support and 3) remember to look after yourself!

See if you can bust the following myths (no peaking at the end)...

1. I'm not being strong for my kids if I'm a man and I seek medical help or professional counselling, true or false?

2. If I'm a man I might lose face with my work mates or family members if I seek medical help or professional counselling, true or false?

3. If I'm a Dad it's not cool to show any emotions or cry, true or false?

4.  Paternal Postpartum/Postnatal Depression can happen to mothers and fathers, true or false?

If you didn't guess any of the answers to these myths, don't worry because I didn't know the answers either until I busted them with my research. Try busting the myths yourself by using the links below to find out more information. Help reduce the stigma 1) by informing yourself, 2) through education, awareness and support and 3) remember to look after yourself!


1. I'm not being strong for my kids if I'm a man and I seek medical help or professional counselling, true or false?

Take Care of Yourself!

• By maintaining your own emotional health and well being, you are modeling important life skills to help your child learn and grow.
• Take time to nurture yourself. Take a walk, exercise, read a book, keep a journal or have coffee with a friend.
• Develop healthy, mutually respectful relationships with others. When you relate with friends, family and partners, your children will learn meaningful skills.

Retrieved 30th August 2011 from http://www.kidvision.org/feelings/guide.html

Helpful resources and links:

• Foundation 49 "Your health doesn't just affect you, if you are a man over 40 you need an annual health check" (Home http://www.49.com.au/ )

Look up => 
Category Archives: Mental Health http://www.49.com.au/mens-health/mental-health/

• Beyondblue, the national depression initiative (home http://www.beyondblue.org.au/ )

Look up =>
Men http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=4.1127
Info line at http://beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=107 or phone 1300 22 4636 for the cost of a local call.
BeyondBlue music for your soul http://www.beyondbluemusic.org/home.html



2. If I'm a man I might lose face with my work mates or family members if I seek medical help or professional counselling, true or false? (See also links for question 3)

"However, a recent study from Penn State University in the US suggests that I may be worrying unnecessarily, that tears are becoming more acceptable for men and less so for women.

The study, using a sample of 284 people, found that men were judged much more positively for crying than women. This, according to the study’s authors, was because men were seen as expressing honest emotion where women were seen as out of control." 

Retrieved 30th August 2011 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article2811643.ece

Helpful Links (humorously written):

Look up =>

• 'It's now OK for men to cry'  - "New research suggests a change in attitudes toward men who cry in public. Yet it's becoming less appropriate for women" http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article2811643.ece
• 'It's okay for Dad's to cry' - "I came back out of the office after gaining my composure and went about the rest of the night with a smile on my face and a kick in my step. I guess I just needed to cry a little. And that was okay." http://thedaddyyoblog.com/2011/04/its-okay-for-dads-to-cry/

3. If I'm a Dad it's not cool to show any emotions or cry, true or false? (See also links for question 2)

"Our kids need us to show our emotions. If we as fathers need a good cry, then man up and let the tears flow...Our kids need to know how to process emotion, to feel. We can teach our kids how to do that, but better than teaching is showing. We all feel emotion, but we have an obligation to show emotion as well. We owe it to our kids, and they need it. I never heard someone say “my dad cried too much”. I have heard many times “my dad never cried”, and it is never spoken as a positive...If you think you are too much of a man to cry, I argue that you are more of a man if you do. It truly takes a strong man to let others see you do it. So, man up, grab  the box of tissues and turn on the water works if you need to. It’s good for you and it’s good for your kids. Would it be a bad thing to hear them say “my Dad was never afraid to cry”?"
Retrieved 30th August 2011 from http://daddysdown.com/2011/05/09/daddy-is-a-crybaby-but-thats-okay/

Look up =>

• Dealing with Feelings A Parent's Guide, "All feelings are okay, it's what you do with them that counts" (To support your child and your own emotional wellbeing and development) http://www.kidvision.org/feelings/guide.html

• 'Daddy is a crybaby, but that's okay' (from Daddy's Down, a blog about life kids and fatherhood. Has anyone seen my coffee mug?) http://daddysdown.com/2011/05/09/daddy-is-a-crybaby-but-thats-okay/

• Daddy's Down, a blog about life kids and fatherhood. Has anyone seen my coffeemug? http://daddysdown.com/

4.  Paternal Postpartum/Postnatal Depression can happen to mothers and fathers, true or false? 

More information coming on this topic in Part 2: Men Blue, Still Cool? Help Reduce the Stigma.




Medical Disclaimer: This post is not written by a medical practitioner and no responsibility is taken by the writer (medical, legal or otherwise). This post does not replace medical information or help that can be obtained by a medical professional.
(Answers were: 1. False, 2. False, 3. False, 4. See Part 2: Men Blue, Still Cool? Help Reduce the Stigma)