How to Comfort Someone Who’s Sad/Crying | The Art of Manliness

There is no insert Tab "A" into Tab "B" solution that works for all people in all scenarios. Not a politically correct or "sensitive" solution, but exactly what I needed at the time:

My 12 year old son was hit and killed by a car while we were on vacation, visiting my wife's family. I retreated into myself. My father-in-law, and my wife's maternal grandfather gave me 72 hours for my pity party. Then they sat me down and laid it out in no uncertain terms:

1) I had a wife who needed me to be a man
2) I had a daughter who needed me to be a man
3) I had a business with employees who needed me to be a man
4) I was not acting like a man
5) I was on a road that would lead me to fail my wife, daughter, and employees
6) I had 15 more minutes of pity party left, after that they would step in, and I was NOT going to like it.

You mean, "There there..." doesn't work?! Well crap...

I fear I'm normally the guy in that comic; I'm not very good at that part. Luckily my wife forgives my many shortcomings.