The Original Post
My wife passed away from cancer 12 years ago leaving me alone with our three kids. I never dated after her and even if I did they wouldn’t have approved of it, I wanted to focus on them anyway. My oldest daughter is now married and my younger two sons are in college and out of the house so it’s just me at home now, and it’s so fucking depressing. I leave in the morning to go to my soul sucking job and return in the evening to an empty house that’s the exact same way I left it in the morning, no warm meal no noises no one to go back home to, I still love my wife and I do miss her very much and if she was still alive I wouldn’t dream of speaking to another woman but I’m still young I’m 48 and in relatively good health and I don’t wanna spend the rest of my time alone. I’ve been recently talking to one of my friend’s divorced sisters and we’re liking each other, but my friend’s son her nephew is close friends with my youngest and he told him and now all my kids are angry at me for moving on. They just want me to keep living a miserable life to honour their mom. But I’ve honoured her long enough and I deserve company too just like all of them are out dating and my daughter is even married herself.
Is that too much to ask for?
What Reddit Said
Reddit overwhelmingly supported the widowed father. Most users emphasized that 12 years was more than enough time to grieve. They pointed out the hypocrisy of his children demanding he stay alone while they pursue their own relationships.
However, some Redditors suggested creative solutions. One popular comment recommended “malicious compliance” – showing up at his kids’ houses for dinner every night. Others encouraged him to join dating apps and hobby groups to build a new social life.
The consensus was clear: his adult children were being selfish. Moreover, commenters stressed that moving on doesn’t dishonor his late wife’s memory.
The Verdict
Reddit’s verdict was unanimous: this widower dating after wife died is completely reasonable. After 12 years of single parenthood and devotion, he deserves companionship and happiness. This represents a common struggle in family relationships where adult children struggle to accept their parent’s new romantic interests. His kids need to recognize that honoring their mother’s memory doesn’t require their father’s eternal loneliness.
Original post from r/TrueOffMyChest (1,689 upvotes, 233 comments)