“Man up.” “Work harder.” “Stop crying.” All common messages men grew up hearing – and internalizing – over time. In this article, we dive into the reasons why “tough love” can make it harder to process loss, harming boys and men alike. Whether you’re here to process your own grief, or here to support a friend, brother, father, or partner, we explain how “tough love” may be blocking men from processing loss from their lives.

Fathers leave their mark—sometimes through their presence, sometimes through their absence. They might have taught us how to solve problems, or how to hide what we feel. Some showed strength and warmth; others were more complicated or distant. And sometimes, what we remember most is what we didn’t get—a silence or absence we’ve had to grieve, work around, or make sense of. If you're working through what a 'father' means to you, and the impact fathers have had on your life, th