The Science of Emotional Suppression and What Children Actually Need There is a sentence people love to give grieving parents, usually with a pat on the back or a soft sigh: “Just stay strong for the kids.” At first, it sounds encouraging. Until you realize what it quietly demands. It tells you to swallow your tears. To keep a straight face even when your heart is breaking. To push your own grief so far down that you can make room for everyone else’s. But research tells a dif