June 25, 2024 by Fred Colby
Earlier this year a therapist and doctoral student, who works with Couples in Conflict Management, contacted me with questions she encountered in conversations with women dating widowers. These questions deal with the challenges faced by a woman trying to understand a widower’s ongoing relationship with his deceased wife. This is… Read More
May 31, 2024 by Fred Colby
A friend who recently lost his wife and I were commiserating recently over how damned lonely we were soon after losing our wives. This is despite our backgrounds which included interacting with hundreds (if not thousands) of people yearly. And even though we had: Several close married friends Family and… Read More
May 17, 2024 by Fred Colby
Fred Colby recently appeared on Widowhood – Real Talk with Tina. It was a thorough and thoughtful discussion of many issues important to widowers. After losing her husband to a sudden heart attack in 2017, Tina Fornwald created this platform for other widows and widowers to cope with their grief… Read More
May 3, 2024 by Fred Colby
I certainly don’t know everything! And… more than likely, neither do you. One of the biggest shocks upon entering deep grieving as a widower is the realization of how ill-prepared we are to deal with it… much less survive it! And yet, widowers will often say things like: I… Read More
April 19, 2024 by Fred Colby
Recent headlines about the very brief three-month marriage of Widower Gerry Turner (the first Golden Bachelor) and Theresa Nist coming to an end raise some interesting questions. The pace of the Golden Bachelor program is frenetic. It expects a Bachelor to identify, court, and then marry a new bride… Read More
April 6, 2024 by Fred Colby
Sex is a topic that we widowers often have difficulty discussing with each other, much less with friends, family, or even therapists. And yet, it needs to be addressed. Why? Because so many of us have so much trouble dealing with the topic. It does not matter whether you are… Read More
March 20, 2024 by Fred Colby
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck seem an unlikely pair to be teaching Widowers how to heal and regain purpose and joy in their lives. But in fact, they are a great example for us to follow. As I have mentioned before, when a husband dies his wife will likely be… Read More
February 11, 2024 by Fred Colby
I, and many others who write about the widower experience, often speak of loneliness. Paired with the pain of our grieving, loneliness is perhaps the most threatening challenge we face. Why? Because it often builds upon our grief and spreads its seeds of depression, self-doubts, and regrets. This often leads… Read More
January 27, 2024 by Fred Colby
This and similar enticing messages run constantly on dating sites and social media pages used by widowers. Usually, they get your attention with a picture of an attractive young gal about half your age, usually with some cleavage showing. Unfortunately, these siren song messages go along with our being identified… Read More
January 12, 2024 by Fred Colby
We widowers often hear that soon after the death of our wives we will lose many friends and possibly some family ties. This frequently occurs despite our best efforts to maintain these previously reliable and important relationships. This can result in: Questioning our likability, self-image, and ability to sustain relationships. Read More
