#9. I’m A Real Boy!

“Gender stereotypes exist for us. I’m a stay at home dad. I’ve been called terrible things all because I don’t work like a man should. This happens even though I also collect VA disability because of injuries sustained while in the USMC. I’ve been told I’m not a good role model for my son. Called a degenerate, even though I’m a college graduate. I’ve even been told I’m not a real man. It’s really really depressing.”

#10. It Only Takes A Moment…Or Five

“That men have different response times. Many things we think about are never said, simply because what we think about may not be of any value to say until we find a reason to say it, or that we are still deciding if it’s worth saying. As in, if we are in an argument, we will refrain from answering right away to every question. If you yell and scream and demand 12 questions in less than 60 seconds, we can’t answer them all and cannot think well enough to answer them in the best way. Ask one question, let us have time to process it. Rattling off a dozen as fast as you can could lead to screaming matches.”

#11. Rejection Is Scary For Everyone

“I don’t think some women realize how terrifying it can be for some men to approach them, for any reason. I have thought for awhile that I suffer from social anxiety. For instance, there is this girl that I like on Facebook, and have met several times, usually at get togethers with friends. Anyways, I like this girl, and I am fairly certain if I asked her out she would say yes. But I don’t, I can’t. I have had her as a friend on Facebook for several years, and the only time I have talked to her was when I thanked her for wishing me a happy birthday. You see, I am afraid to even talk to her, not because she scares me, but because I don’t want to say the wrong thing and scare her away, so I continue to do nothing. Fearing and stressing over rejection. It makes me feel so small a man.”