Story 26. Why We Cry
When you were a baby, if things weren't going your way, you probably cried.
Big, salty tears poured down your face.
Adults knew that something was wrong.
You were angry or hungry, and crying was your way of showing it.
You probably don't cry too much now that you are older, but did you know that your body never stops making tears?
You don't feel them, but they are there.
Tears of this kind are always cleaning and feeding your eyes.
If they were not there, our eyes would quickly dry out, and vision would soon be lost.
Have you ever had a piece of dirt or a small stick hit your eye while playing?
Your body immediately fights back.
It sends tears into your eyes to get rid of the dirt.
Tears are made by tear ducts located behind each eye under the eyelid.
Our body mixes many chemicals to create a tear.
One of the main ingredients in a tear is sodium.
Better known as salt.
This is why tears taste salty.
Mammals of every kind produce cleansing tears.
But only humans make tears when they are sad.
Watching a sad movie might make you cry.
Saying goodbye to a good friend who is moving to another city might make you cry.
Sometimes, you're having a great time with your friends.
You laugh so hard that you start to cry.
Yes, tears are not just for sadness.
Many of us cry when we are happy, too.
Nature gives us many tools to keep us healthy.
Tears are just one of the tools that we cannot live without.
You might think that tears are only for sadness.
Dig a little deeper, and you'll see that tears have a more important role to play.
