Widowed Dad Asks Internet How to Help His Teen Daughter Get Over a Breakup

A widowed dad took to Reddit seeking advice after his teen daughter had her first breakup, and the internet delivered in truly heartwarming fashion

Parenting isn’t easy for anyone, but some people’s circumstances just make it much harder. One poster on Reddit shared that he’s a widowed, single dad to three girls—something that’s more difficult than most of us can even imagine. But he’s clearly doing his absolute best, as evidenced by his post asking the internet for guidance after his eldest daughter’s first breakup.

“My oldest just turned 16 this past May and has been dating this boy from her school for one year,” he wrote. “I knew the boy… he came to our house and vice versa. He is 17 years old. On Friday I was called by my middle child to come back home ASAP because my oldest was having a crisis. She found her boyfriend with another girl in his house in a very compromising situation. She wanted to surprise him because he didn’t go to school that day because he was ‘sick’ which is what he had told her but he skipped to be with this other classmate.”

My little girl (16f) got cheated on by her first boyfriend and I don’t know how to help
by inParenting

He continued, “Needless to say my baby is in a very bad place. I know this was bound to happen one day but I am not ready or equipped for this. I have zero dating experience or relationship experience relating to this. I’ve only had two partners and one of them was my wife, I haven’t dated since she passed 11 years ago I am not the best to give advice in this situation. On Friday I did my best to comfort her which she allowed me to, she also requested if she could have an STD test which I took her to have. Now she has barely eaten, barely leaves her bedroom and doesn’t want to talk to anyone. I got her her favourite snacks, and things she would enjoy I know it’s not much but I don’t know what to do to make it all better. It’s now 2am on a school night and I walked past her room and she is crying. I know it’s not only the fact that she was cheated on it’s what she saw as well. Please some advice will be helpful.”

Doesn’t that make you just want to wrap this whole family up in a hug? And that’s pretty much what commenters did with their words in the replies.

“I’m so sorry to hear about your wife. You’re doing such a great job so far. Don’t feel bad if you’re speechless and don’t have anything to say. Just hold her and let her cry. Maybe bring a cold washcloth to put on her face so the swelling can go down,” the top comment reads.

Another reader had this advice to offer: “I was a daughter with a single father. When this happened to me, it just helped that he hugged me and didn’t try to fix it. He just reminded me that it would be OK. There’s nothing like that first heartbreak. You’re a good dad.”

In an update, Dad thanked everyone for the kind suggestions and shared that his daughter eventually wanted to talk, after some of the initial shock wore off. They agreed that she would skip her last week of school and started making plans for a family vacation together. At her request, they also made an appointment with her psychologist.

“I know time will make this easier, it’s just hard to watch her suffer,” he wrote. Something all parents will relate to—but Dad, you’re doing just fine.