A Guy's Wife Won't Let Him Watch Her Give Birth & The Debate Over Men Crying Is Heating Up

A soon-to-be father has ignited a debate about men showing emotions around their partner, after confessing online that his wife rips him for being "weak" and won't let him watch the birth of their child.

The guy explained in a Reddit post on r/AmItheA**hole that his pregnant wife has refused to let him be in the delivery room when she gives birth, and the situation makes him want to cry.

However, he already knows that if he does so she will tear into him even more.

The writer of the post details how his wife, Emily, is currently eight months pregnant, and how he has always wanted to be present for the birth of their child.

Still, Emily has made it clear that she does not want him in the room during labour and delivery, no matter what type of birth she has. She has her reasons, such as the fact that she has had miscarriages and wants her mother to be there for support.

Nevertheless, the man says he is devastated that he will not be able to witness the birth of their son.

"I’ve tried convincing, pleading, begging, but she won’t change her mind," the man wrote in his post. "I don’t wanna stress her out too much because I keep telling myself all that matters is that they’re both healthy, but I’m honestly really sad about not being able to be there for my son’s birth."

He says he tried to process his emotions on his own, but his wife's condescending behaviour towards him has made it difficult. She has scolded him for being upset and told him to "be a f*cking man" and "get the f*ck over it."

"I feel like crying, but I don’t want her to know, and get mad at me again, so I told her I was going out to get groceries, and am writing this in the car to try and calm myself down," the man wrote in his post. "I love her so much, but what she said really hit me hard. I just want them both to be healthy and safe, but I also wanted to be there."

People in the comment section reassured him that he's not wrong for feeling upset, although Emily is definitely showing some "toxic" attitudes toward his feelings.

One person asked if Emily was "always this cruel and misogynistic" before reassuring the user that he was not the a**hole in this situation.

"Not misogynistic, straight up obsessed with toxic masculinity," wrote another user. "Men are weak if they cry or care about seeing their child’s first moments? Hell no, this woman has very toxic views and [the original poster] really needs to take a look if this is the kind of mindset he wants his child to be raised with."

Another person wrote: "My husband regularly gets teary about our son and how much he loves him, and I find it utterly wonderful. [original poster’s] wife sucks."

"Even though I'm a female, I don't see men crying as a weakness. They are still human," wrote another commenter. "[Original poste] sounds beaten (sic) down (emotionally) and sad. Your partner should never diminish or invalidate your feelings, ever. I'm sorry, please stand up for yourself & assure your son that it's okay as a man to express feelings."

The Reddit post raises the ongoing debate about whether or not men should be allowed to show emotions like crying. Some people believe men should be stoic and unemotional, but others pointed out that this can lead to men feeling ashamed or weak for expressing their emotions.

"The world would probably be a tiny bit better place if people allowed men to cry without thinking them somehow feeble of mind," wrote one user.

"Contrary to popular belief, anger is not the only acceptable emotion for men."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.