Description

"I would tell anybody to find some sort of group of people to speak with. People who are somewhat similarly situated so that you can kind of lean on each other as you navigate these waters of uncertainty, because it's rough and it helps having someone you can lean on. Especially with dads who are dealing with other guys who may not be as open to talking about it."

- Will Owens

Today I’m so pleased to be sharing with you my discussion with Will Owens. Will is a widowed dad and he has an 8 year old son. It was great to hear his perspective on widowed parenting, and what he finds to be unique challenges as a dad, and also what parts are similar in all of our journeys, whether we are moms or dads who lost our spouses.

Some topics Will and I discussed include:

• What it’s like being in a grief group for dads, and whether he finds it worthwhile (spoiler alert: he does!);
• Enlisting the moms of his son’s friends to help him navigate school & kid activities;
• Taking over household and schedule management, which his wife used to do for their family;
• Getting through the first year milestones, including grief triggers that he didn’t expect; and
• Trying to be a “good enough” parent, which is a concept that Justin Yopp talked about in episode 9.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Will Owens.