Crying is often stress relief, when presented a temporary happy relief from a life of abuse. The OP of this thread sounds nuts, and I fear for her kids. You wanna see a particular emotional reaction? SICK..

Anonymous wrote:I can't even articulate all of the ways this question triggers me.

Same for me. ):

One of my daughters cries happy tears and one doesn't. I think it's just how she was born, she's done it since she was three. She has big emotions in all aspects of life. She has main character energy lol. My other daughter would never cry happy tears... It's just not her style. She appreciates her gifts a ton but she's more likely to take it into another room and get engrossed in it. To my oldest, it's not even about the gift it's about the people and the act of exchanging things.

It's hard to explain but it's all personality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's my 100% cynical take:

I think kids who cry on Christmas morning have instability in their lives. They don't know what to expect when and possibly feel insecure. Maybe their parents are actually awful. So they feel really BIG emotions when something they really want happens.

(Of course I may be wrong, just tossing around some crazy thoughts)

+1,000
I know some happy tears kids who have been through hell and are just full of gratitude

+1. Anecdotal, of course, but I am - and have always been - easily overcome with emotion when I see a display of genuine love, care, sacrifice, etc. I grew up in a dysfunctional home (mental illness, sexual abuse, etc) where I rarely if ever felt loved and valued. “Happy tears” for me is truly an involuntary reaction to witnessing or sensing something kind, loving, caring, etc.

There might be a little something to this, though I tend to think it's a person by person thing. My anecdote is the total opposite: amazing family home, always valued and supported. If I can do it as well as my parents? Kids are blessed for that alone. Mine probably take a TON of stuff for granted. Is life perfect? Heck no! But I've never understood happy tears.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's shameful parents pimp out their kids on social media

Try to stay on topic

Ok Post Police! Did you read beyond the title?

It’s either who they are or who they aren’t. Stop comparing your kids to other kids, social media, cousins, classmates, commercials, expectations, whatever. Some kids cry sad tears but not happy, some cry happy not sad, some cry at the drop of a hat, some on anything emotional. Some internalize feelings and do or don’t cry when happy or sad or emotional. Or maybe cry sometimes when sad but not others, or sometimes when happy but not others. Geez, just let them cry or not cry based on their feelings at the moment.

I cry easily. It’s often embarrassing. Both my kids do it too, as does my mom, so it seems either genetic or easy to pass down unintentionally. I will cry at things that are really beautiful, super kind gestures, anything that evokes strong sentimentality (those ads during the Olympics thanking the moms of olympians…). I teared up dropping off toys after reading that WaPo story last week about the nonprofit that needed them— they had an awesome turnout at the drop off location and seeing so many people step up was really moving.

Neither me nor my kids have had anything but a stable, loving home so (at least for us) it’s not the “I wasn’t sure I would get anything for Christmas” issue someone else noted. As one of the many books we have on being a sensitive kid says, it’s easy for emotions to spill out your eyes.

I have a sibling who cries when she's happy, sad, mad etc.
It's genetic bc none of us are like that and we've all had to stop thinking something was wrong just because she is crying

Anonymous wrote:I think it's shameful parents pimp out their kids on social media

Try to stay on topic

Only time in my family is when we got a surprise puppy. My 13yo ds cried.

I cry happy tears. I was born that way. My family of origin doesn’t show emotion, so it’s definitely not learned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's my 100% cynical take:

I think kids who cry on Christmas morning have instability in their lives. They don't know what to expect when and possibly feel insecure. Maybe their parents are actually awful. So they feel really BIG emotions when something they really want happens.

(Of course I may be wrong, just tossing around some crazy thoughts)

+1,000
I know some happy tears kids who have been through hell and are just full of gratitude

+1. Anecdotal, of course, but I am - and have always been - easily overcome with emotion when I see a display of genuine love, care, sacrifice, etc. I grew up in a dysfunctional home (mental illness, sexual abuse, etc) where I rarely if ever felt loved and valued. “Happy tears” for me is truly an involuntary reaction to witnessing or sensing something kind, loving, caring, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Here's my 100% cynical take:

I think kids who cry on Christmas morning have instability in their lives. They don't know what to expect when and possibly feel insecure. Maybe their parents are actually awful. So they feel really BIG emotions when something they really want happens.

(Of course I may be wrong, just tossing around some crazy thoughts)

+1,000
I know some happy tears kids who have been through hell and are just full of gratitude

Op here. Thank you all! I don’t see it as a negative quality in those children who do, I’m not sure why there’s a negative tone to some of the responses. I’m just wondering if this is a part of how many families nurture their children to express emotions or if some children are born with this as the manner in which they express their emotions without any parental encouragement to do so. Sorry to offend anyone. Just an aspect of parenting or personality I have observed in others that I was curious about.

Anonymous wrote:Huh? This is the weirdest question I think I’ve ever seen on here, congrats

Agree! I get being charmed by it—that’s why it shows up on commercials so often—but why on earth would it ever occur to somebody to try to foster it in their own kids?

Even giving OP the benefit of the doubt about the social media thing, and setting aside the possibility it’s just for the likes, what makes them think these children are necessarily any happier than those who don’t tear up?