Dennis Murphy on Solo Parenting and Starting a Group for Widowed Dads

I had such a great discussion with Dennis Murphy for this episode. Dennis is a widowed dad in Des Moines, Iowa, and he’s been raising his three teenagers by himself since his wife died almost two years ago. Inspired by the book “The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life,” Dennis started his own group for widowed dads in Des Moines.

Some topics Dennis and I discuss include:

• His family’s journey with his wife’s cancer;

• Putting his kids on the bus to the wrong school on Day 1 of widowed parenting;

• Taking a leave of absence from work and traveling with his kids;

• Deciding he needed to change his approach to parenting, and working to understand his kids better; and

• Reading “The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life” about 5 months after his wife died, and being inspired to start a group for widowed dads in Des Moines.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Dennis Murphy.

Links & resources for this episode

• The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life, by Donald Rosenstein and Justin Yopp

• widowedparent.org

More links for listeners

• Download: Kids & Grief: What You Need to Know

• Article: I’m a Widowed Mom: Here Are My 3 Tips for COVID-19 Widows

• Book: Widowed Parents Unite: 52 Tips to Get Through the First Year, from One Widowed Parent to Another

Thank you sponsors & partners:

Help Texts - Grief support text messaging service. Tips and support delivered all year long, personalized based on your loss. Listeners get $10 off: https://helptexts.com/jennylisk

BetterHelp - Talk with a licensed, professional therapist online. Get 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/widowedparent

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