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Mama's Boy?
The Key to Understanding Your Emotional Son
By Gwen Morrison
Your 11-year-old son still cries in response to something not going quite 
right. Is this normal, appropriate behavior? Should you be "toughening" him up? He likes to read, play the piano, listen to classical music and isn't interested in what society tells us is "boy stuff." Does this make him unique – or is he considered odd?
It can be a difficult subject to broach with young boys: their super-sensitive side. Not all boys are created equal. Each is unique. Each needs the same guidance as they grow into mature, responsible young men. Learning how to communicate with your sensitive son, without making him seem "abnormal," is not always easy for parents.
"My son is a very sensitive and empathetic boy," says Drue Ann Hargis-Ramirez from Pomona, Calif. "He's almost 10 and will cry if his father or I seem the least bit critical of something he does – even if it's not how we meant it."
Parents who have very sensitive boys find that it is often difficult for their child to remain unemotional when faced with a conflict. The immediate response is to cry or become emotionally upset.
"It's frustrating sometimes cause he gets so worked up so quickly," says Cindy Elliot of London, Ontario, Canada. "I try to be patient and understanding, cause I know that he has such a hard time, but I just wish he would not overreact. He doesn't always give a person a chance to help him before he becomes overwrought."
Elliot wonders if her 10-year-old son will have difficulties in handling stressful situations as he gets older. She worries that he won't be able to solve problems without becoming upset – and that could prove embarrassing as he ages.
Dr. Jonathan A. Slater, director of pediatric psychiatry and the Consultation-Liaison Service at Children's Hospital in New York, says it's important for parents of sensitive boys and girls to realize that anxiety is normal. "Children must be taught not to run from it and not to be incapacitated by it," he says. "The real task is to teach coping skills. This must begin with defining what the anxiety is about and dealing with the specific fears and thoughts behind those fears."