--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why did tears make people treat you like…" description: "\"“Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old when usually they meant something grown-up was going on inside?”\" — Melissa Nathan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png" --- # Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old… ![“Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old when usually they meant something grown-up was going on inside?” quote by Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png) > ““Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old when usually they meant something grown-up was going on inside?”” [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tears can signal vulnerability, yet adults may treat them as childish, revealing societal bias toward emotional expression. **In simple terms:** Adults often dismiss tears as childish. Key Takeaway Validate emotional honesty at any age. Themes emotion bias vulnerability societal norms Mood reflective empathetic Type psychological cultural When to use this quote - workplace communication - parenting - mental health counseling - media representation Key Concepts psychology of emotion gender studies Questions to Reflect On - Why do we label emotional expression as immature? - How can we foster healthier emotional norms? A Different Perspective Some cultures view tears as weakness, limiting openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes people have to cry out the tears To make room for a heart full of smiles….](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uknown/sometimes-people-have-to-cry-out-the-tears-to-make-room-for-a-heart/) Uknown > [Tears can't always make us feel bad. Even tears are full of shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/tears-can-t-always-make-us-feel-bad-even-tears-are-full-of-shit/) [Kevin Mccarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Stop being nice to people who treat you like straight shit. It gives them REASON to take advantage of you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malara/stop-being-nice-to-people-who-treat-you-like-straight-shit-it-gives/) [Michael MAlara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malara/) > [No people treat you like that but they don't mean it. They call you that because they are jealous of your personality. You be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savannah-j/no-people-treat-you-like-that-but-they-don-t-mean-it-they-call-you/) [Savannah J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savannah-j/) > [When people treat you like nothing, you begin to feel like nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/when-people-treat-you-like-nothing-you-begin-to-feel-like-nothing/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Well you know when people around you treat you like a child and pay no attention to the things you say you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynette-fromme/well-you-know-when-people-around-you-treat-you-like-a-child-and-pay/) [Lynette Fromme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynette-fromme/) > [If people treat you like a option... leave them like a choice...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anamika-singh/if-people-treat-you-like-a-option-leave-them-like-a-choice/) [Anamika Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anamika-singh/) > [We can't expect people to treat us like we're below them, when we put them on a pedestal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mine/we-can-t-expect-people-to-treat-us-like-we-re-below-them-when-we-put/) Mine > [“We teach people how to treat us. If you don’t put up with shit, and don’t settle for anything less than respect, that’s what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-proby/we-teach-people-how-to-treat-us-if-you-don-t-put-up-with-shit-and-don/) [Kristen Proby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-proby/) > [Don't let people treat you like you're stupid. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinbad/don-t-let-people-treat-you-like-you-re-stupid-if-it-sounds-too-good/) [Sinbad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinbad/) > [When you're an actor on set, people treat you like a giant baby. They don't let you do anything. Like, "Do you need any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rooney-mara/when-you-re-an-actor-on-set-people-treat-you-like-a-giant-baby-they/) [Rooney Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rooney-mara/) > [People treat me like family, 'cause I've always treated them like family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/people-treat-me-like-family-cause-i-ve-always-treated-them-like-family/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [Don't let people treat you like a cigarette ,they only use you when they are bored and step on you when they are done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-people-treat-you-like-a-cigarette-they-only-use-you-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When people treat you like they don't care, believe them. They don't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-treat-you-like-they-don-t-care-believe-them-they-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want people to treat me like a star or call me one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urvashi-rautela/i-don-t-want-people-to-treat-me-like-a-star-or-call-me-one/) [Urvashi Rautela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urvashi-rautela/) ## More by Melissa Nathan > [A lifetime of lonely regret or happiness with some pain along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/a-lifetime-of-lonely-regret-or-happiness-with-some-pain-along-the-way/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) > [“It wasn't always imperative to get 'Excellent'. Sometimes it was healthy to have something to work towards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/it-wasn-t-always-imperative-to-get-excellent-sometimes-it-was-healthy/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) > [“It never got easier, it just got different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/it-never-got-easier-it-just-got-different/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) > [“Hi," (cough), "my name is Jasmin Field. I'm a journalist. So don't piss me off. Ha ha. And um - well, I can't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/hi-cough-my-name-is-jasmin-field-i-m-a-journalist-so-don-t-piss-me/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) > [“I'm going to be fit and slim and beautiful. I'm going on a diet as of today." "Why? You've always said that looks don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/i-m-going-to-be-fit-and-slim-and-beautiful-i-m-going-on-a-diet-as-of/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) > [“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a large ego must be in want of a woman to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/it-is-a-truth-universally-acknowledged-that-a-single-man-in-7/) [Melissa Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) [Explore all 7 Melissa Nathan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/) ## More Tears quotes > [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [“Witnessing a selfless act brings tears to remind us how we should be treating others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witnessing-a-selfless-act-brings-tears-to-remind-us-how-we-should-be/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Don't trust everyone, because one day you will shed tears of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/don-t-trust-everyone-because-one-day-you-will-shed-tears-of-blood/) [SunShine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [Got those moods a swinging, tears a slinging, nothing fits me, when it hits me, ranting, raving, misbehaving, PMS blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/got-those-moods-a-swinging-tears-a-slinging-nothing-fits-me-when-it/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The past is only making you to spill tears, tears of joy or tears pain. But anyway they are making you sad, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a/the-past-is-only-making-you-to-spill-tears-tears-of-joy-or-tears-pain/) T.A > [“I lost my chance with you then, and maybe I deserved to, for being too scared to speak up and tell you how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-harlow/i-lost-my-chance-with-you-then-and-maybe-i-deserved-to-for-being-too/) [Melanie Harlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-harlow/) > [“She allowed herself the luxury of a good cry, figuring that her tears were mingling with the downpour to soak into the soil. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-winegar/she-allowed-herself-the-luxury-of-a-good-cry-figuring-that-her-tears/) [Tracy Winegar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-winegar/) [Browse all 6,956 Tears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old when usually they meant something grown-up was going on inside?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Melissa Nathan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like-a-five-year-old-when-usually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Tears" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like-a-five-year-old-when-usually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cd/melissa-nathan-49929_tears_why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like_1829548.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why did tears make people treat you like a five-year-old when usually they meant something grown-up was…” — Melissa Nathan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Melissa Nathan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-nathan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why did tears make people treat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like-a-five-year-old-when-usually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-nathan/why-did-tears-make-people-treat-you-like-a-five-year-old-when-usually/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```