Do you let your kids see you cry?

I have thought about this question off and on at different times.  And I'm a full believer that some discretion is always required, but I also believe that there as some instances where you don't have to hide your real feelings from your children.  I've been caught a few times starting to cry in front of my boys.  They're 3 1/2 now, and they know when something is really upsetting you.  As I mentioned, I don't think you always have to censor yourself in front of your kids.  After all we want them to know we're human too don't we?  I comfort them when they cry and do my best to teach them to control their emotions when necessary, but not to hide them.

The point here is that I don't think my husband and I agree on this point.  Any time I'm close to tears and the boys are near, he quiets me to tell them not to let the boys see me cry.  It's not something we talk about or discuss, mainly because it doesn't happen often enough to become a big issue.  I hope in the future it never becomes an issue.

It's been on my mind more lately.  Mainly because there has been more tears than usual in my house lately. After all, loosing a baby has had a big impact on our lives.  We never told our boys we were expecting.  We were waiting on the a-ok from the doctor before sharing the big news, and when that never came, we never broke the news to them.  The Baby on the Way book that I had bought to help the boys understand the arrival of their new sibling has been sent to the basement.  After all, how do you explain to a couple of three year old boys that they lost a baby sibling?  They can't understand that, but at the same time, they know that things changed in our house.  The know that mommy hasn't felt well, and that daddy has been doing all the housework.  I don't know what the right thing for them is with this.  I keep thinking that all will be back to normal soon, and we can have a special weekend with them to celebrate the joyful life we have as a family.  Unfortunately issues keep popping up and it keeps dragging on longer than we anticipated (but that's another story), but with spring coming around the corner, I'm excited for a spring and another summer with my family in our new home. 

I do love my family & friends.  :)  I'd be crazy without them!