# When was the last time you made somebody cry? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181 "2008-10-16T12:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/21 "2008-10-16T16:30:39Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > That’s cold. I’m sure it would be colder to those that bothered to follow the holiday time off req procedure to make an exception for someone who couldn’t, but whatever. Time has taught me that when you’re a boss, someone will always think you’re an asshole no matter how hard you try to be fair. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/22 "2008-10-16T16:33:23Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > \*Dad: Would you please go now? > > Me: Why? > > Dad: Because I don’t want you to see me sad.\* Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/23 "2008-10-16T16:43:41Z")
My two-year-old turns on the tears whenever he can’t have something or go somewhere he wants (usually wanting to play in the kitchen when people are cooking). Happes on a pretty regular basis and makes me feel bad, but it doesn’t get him what he wants. When I’m doing a performance on stage, making people cry is one of the greatest feelings there is. If I wanted them to laugh, I’d just make armpit farts; turning on the tears requires hitting their emotional buttons just right. Still, I want them to be smiling at the finish. My last weeper was just last weekend. Making an adult cry because I did something hurtful (or they interpreted it as such)? I don’t think I’ve done that for at least six or seven years. It’s not something I try do to anyway. ETA: just remembered one: I made my wife and my mother cry 5 years ago when I told them I had cancer. To be honest, I felt more embarrassed and irritated than sympathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/24 "2008-10-16T17:46:11Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Wow, this dredges up an extremely painful memory. > > A few years ago, about six months after my Dad’s stroke, he was living in a nursing home. We were having an argument about money (which we were inclined to do almost weekly), and I wouldn’t let up about how he failed to support me in several areas such as school. Even though I had some valid points, it was not a fair fight given that he didn’t have all his mental capacities at that point. He gave in and wanted to go to sleep at 4:30 in the afternoon. > > Anyway, he turned out the light, laid on his bed, and turned away from me. > > \*Dad: Would you please go now? > > Me: Why? > > Dad: Because I don’t want you to see me sad.\* > > ☹ Oh my God I never felt so small in my life as I did that day. I think I myself cried on the way home. From that day forward, I swore to hug my Dad as much as possible, but I’ll never get over how much I hurt him. This is breaking my heart! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/25 "2008-10-16T17:59:13Z")
I made my wife cry with her anniversary present. It was a book of short stories & poems I wrote and had illustrated bound for her. My baby sister cried when I gave the eulogy at our mother’s funeral. I go out of my way not to make women cry for other reasons than above. I don’t choose to be that guy anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/26 "2008-10-16T18:00:09Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Wow, this dredges up an extremely painful memory. > > A few years ago, about six months after my Dad’s stroke, he was living in a nursing home. We were having an argument about money (which we were inclined to do almost weekly), and I wouldn’t let up about how he failed to support me in several areas such as school. Even though I had some valid points, it was not a fair fight given that he didn’t have all his mental capacities at that point. He gave in and wanted to go to sleep at 4:30 in the afternoon. > > Anyway, he turned out the light, laid on his bed, and turned away from me. > > \*Dad: Would you please go now? > > Me: Why? > > Dad: Because I don’t want you to see me sad.\* > > ☹ Oh my God I never felt so small in my life as I did that day. I think I myself cried on the way home. From that day forward, I swore to hug my Dad as much as possible, but I’ll never get over how much I hurt him. This made me cry. Oh god, I will never tell my parents how much they hurt me - what on earth would be the point, now that they’re old and I am young? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/27 "2008-10-16T18:00:36Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Wow, this dredges up an extremely painful memory. > > A few years ago, about six months after my Dad’s stroke, he was living in a nursing home. We were having an argument about money (which we were inclined to do almost weekly), and I wouldn’t let up about how he failed to support me in several areas such as school. Even though I had some valid points, it was not a fair fight given that he didn’t have all his mental capacities at that point. He gave in and wanted to go to sleep at 4:30 in the afternoon. > > Anyway, he turned out the light, laid on his bed, and turned away from me. > > \*Dad: Would you please go now? > > Me: Why? > > Dad: Because I don’t want you to see me sad.\* > > ☹ Oh my God I never felt so small in my life as I did that day. I think I myself cried on the way home. From that day forward, I swore to hug my Dad as much as possible, but I’ll never get over how much I hurt him. Would you object if I used this anecdote as the basis of a short story? ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/28 "2008-10-16T18:15:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Would you object if I used this anecdote as the basis of a short story? Normally I would say have at it, **Skald** , but this memory is mine alone to bear. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/29 "2008-10-16T18:17:17Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Normally I would say have at it, **Skald** , but this memory is mine alone to bear. I’m sorry. No need to apologize, **Foxtrot**. If I didn’t feel your right to the story trumped my desire to use it, I wouldn’t have asked. ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/30 "2008-10-16T20:09:58Z")
My parents divorced when I was in highschool. I was going to my home town where they both still lived but was staying with my dad because my mom had 2 big dogs and a most obnoxious husband. Following my older sister’s advice, I told her I was staying at my dad’s because of all the doghair at her house. She let out a sob and hung up the phone. Six months later she died of lung cancer. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/31 "2008-10-16T20:43:49Z")
15-20 years ago my pre-teen daughter found and used a stupid inconsequential item my BFF left at our house. I found out about it and went ape-shit, way over the top, likening it to stealing. We eventually both ended up crying, but that to me was and still is the absolute low point of my entire parenting career\*. She’s on the boards and we’ve never talked about it again, but I just want her to know that I’m still really really sorry about that episode. \*Of course she might consider the ear-whigs thing the absolute low point of my parenting career. Yes, yes that was a mistake too. Now you have it in writing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/32 "2008-10-16T20:58:42Z")
Barring small children residing with me over whom I have authority… Two or so weeks ago. An elected official caught breaking her budget to flinders by me and a reporter. When confronted at her office with the evidence with which we were going to run she came completely unglued. And I don’t feel bad at all. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/33 "2008-10-16T21:17:18Z")
This morning, after yelling at my son to stop dancing around in his pyjamas humming the Doctor Who theme at the top of his lungs and brush his teeth, get dressed, and pack his bag for school because the car was leaving in ten minutes. This was greeted with sobbing, wailing and gnashing of teeth, but I think I can live with the guilt. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/34 "2008-10-17T13:11:55Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Barring small children residing with me over whom I have authority… > > Two or so weeks ago. An elected official caught breaking her budget to flinders by me and a reporter. When confronted at her office with the evidence with which we were going to run she came completely unglued. > > And I don’t feel bad at all. Perhaps I’m daft, but I don’t really understand what happened here. What does it mean to “break a budget to flinders,” and why did she cry? I assume she was doing something illegal? > [@Scissorjack](#): > > This morning, after yelling at my son to stop dancing around in his pyjamas humming the Doctor Who theme at the top of his lungs and brush his teeth, get dressed, and pack his bag for school because the car was leaving in ten minutes. This was greeted with sobbing, wailing and gnashing of teeth, but I think I can live with the guilt. How could you get angry at a kid doing that? I’d be too busy laughing my ass off. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/35 "2008-10-17T20:39:27Z")
Last Friday, I had to tell my 6 & almost-9 year old sons that we had to put their dog to sleep, only days after we had to do the same thing to my MIL’s dog. They are _still_ crying about it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/36 "2008-10-17T20:54:10Z")
I don’t remember how long ago it was, but I was feeling very frustrated with the money situation in my company and how my business partner was handling finances, which did directly relate to me (even though they were his finances). I guess I got frustrated to the point where I told his live-in-girlfriend (now wife) that we had no money and it was directly affecting me that she didn’t have a job and I had to give up my own money to support her. I heard later that this made her cry but I didn’t feel too bad about it, and I still don’t. The situation was fucked up and somebody needed to say it. We’re all good now, tho. Thanks for askin’ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/37 "2008-10-17T21:11:49Z")
> [@C3](#): > > There must be something in the air this morning. As we were leaving this morning, my son asked for a pretzel. I gave him one. He promptly burst into hysterical tears because he wanted two. He couldn’t even talk he was crying so hard. I think he needed a little more sleep last night. This cracked me up. Poor kid. 😉 I miss the days I could behave badly because I didn’t get enough sleep! (And being the mother of a 4-month old, I would have A LOT of bad behavior these days.) The last person I made cry was said 4-month old because I can’t whip my boob out fast enough for her when she’s hungry. I don’t know that I’ve ever made an adult cry, besides my parents during my teenage years. But I cry behind closed doors all the time because of what other people say, so I have to assume that I’ve made someone cry and just don’t know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/38 "2008-10-17T22:15:14Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > How could you get angry at a kid doing that? I’d be too busy laughing my ass off. 😛 When I said the Doctor Who theme, I should perhaps have specified “a discordant approximation of the Doctor Who theme”. And it happens _every_ morning. And I’m getting sick of tripping over sonic screwdrivers homemade out of old hose fittings {so that’s where my hose went!} and cardboard box Tardises. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/39 "2008-10-17T22:26:26Z")
personally, either so long ago I don’t remember it, or they didn’t tell me, so I feel pretty relaxed about that professionally, quite recently and commonly with the painful procedures I perform. I feel a little justified and a lot sad, or a lot justified and a little sad depending on how necesary and how successful I am. One of my dreams in nursing is that on the day I make my last child scream, I get to know it. That day may have already come, maybe there’s a car wreck on todays dance card. Maybe I’ll be an administrator in 5 years. Maybe it’ll be 20 before I retire from bedside nursing. But someday, I’ll be making _my very last child_ scream, and I want to walk away from that and know it, to swear a mighty oath ‘as god is my witness I’ll never make a child cry again.’ I love being a nurse, I’ve saved childrens lives with the needle, but fuck do I hate making kids cry ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181/40 "2008-10-17T23:31:45Z")
I was going to post something, but as I thought more about it I’m having trouble with the premise that we make people cry. I said something. I’m pretty sure this lady cried. But I don’t take ownership for that anymore than I would say I made her punch a wall or get drunk. I will extend the same courtesy to people who have said things that have subsequently resulted in me crying. I really never thought of it as them “making me cry.” I may have thought it was them being jerks, but my reaction by crying rather than gettting trashed, violent, or even was a result of a lot of things. This isn’t meant to be a threadshit. But perhaps some of you will also feel that someone else’s crying wasn’t that much a reflection on you as it was of that person’s reaction. There just aren’t many people who react other people’s jerkitude, or to the truly upsetting things in life, just by taking deep, cleansing breaths. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-made-somebody-cry/468181.md?page=3)