At least once a day, Ellie has a good cry. What sets her off is never the same and it is usually something small, like messing up a drawing or spilling milk on her dress. I used to worry that her tears over trivial things were an indication of a larger problem. But Ellie and I have talked about it and she tells me that she just needs to cry. So I let her. She's good at it - she gives it all she's got and can sometimes keep going for up to ten minutes.

There are three types of tears - basal tears for lubricating our eyes, reflex tears for when our eyes get irritated and emotional tears for, obviously, when we get emotional. These three types of tears are chemically different from one another; emotional tears contain more protein and hormones. Some scientists think that emotional tears are a way for our bodies to get rid of waste and that crying emotional tears helps keep depression away.

Ever notice how different you feel after a good cry? Some good, intense sobbing can be physically draining and emotionally cleansing. Last night as I was putting Ellie to bed, she was agitated and clearly not ready to relax and fall asleep. So she started crying. She leaned against me and blubbered for awhile. When she stopped, her entire demeanor was changed. She was relaxed and happy. Exhausted, she put her head on her pillow and quickly fell asleep.

I am not a cryer. The last time I really let it all out was when my father passed away over 3 years ago. But last night as I looked at Ellie sleeping, her face still wet from tears, I decided that maybe I need to start working some emotional crying into my daily life. Maybe we all need a good cry now and then.