"Men don't complain; we either solve the problem ourselves, get help to solve...

“Men don’t complain; we either solve the problem ourselves, get help to solve it, or get used to dealing with it until it can be solved.”

As he gets older, I’ve been teaching my son how to act like a man. One of the keys to being a man is taking responsibility for your life and for the challenges that you face. That means no more complaining like a child, especially to women and children.

(Practically, for my son, this means no more complaining to his mother.)

Complaining is emotional venting. “I’m uncomfortable, and now I want you to know about it and/or suffer with me.” It’s shifting responsibility away from us and onto others at their expense.

Men discuss problems in productive ways. We disambiguate, sort, prioritize, and brainstorm solutions. We can even admit we are lost. But we don’t complain. We never complain. And when we have nothing constructive to say, we stay quiet.

Men, complaining is the fastest way to emasculate yourself and develop a reputation as an immature loser.

On the other hand, taking responsibility for your life and facing your struggles with determination, courage, strength, and mastery will bring you honor.