not to. No one will come and so there is no point in crying.
Luckily, Chinese social welfare institutes are relatively benign in this respect and although they sometimes struggle to manage six to eight babies to a carer, they do try to comfort crying infants. It's a mark of normality for us if our babies and toddlers do cry.
A child cries for a reason, whether that be distress, illness, sadness, anger or boredom. I feel it is a parent's job to respond. If you don't want to, then why have children at all?
Imagine you are yourself crying now, over anything - a sad film, a real hurt, a great loss. How would you feel if a partner ignored you? My girls are very responsive to my tears, and I am glad - it shows that they are capable of empathy, and it gives me great hope for a normal future for them.
Tears are always serious to whoever is shedding them at the time. If they are overdone, that is a mark of needing more attention and that itself needs addressing. I would never leave a child to cry unless following a pattern to try to get children to sleep. And if you've ever had to deal with a child who has night terrors, you'd be very careful with that too.
Give them a cuddle. It's much easier on you, too!
* Joy Robinson, Sutton, Surrey
