Are you in a relationship with a widower?
Are you wondering if he is serious about his relationship with you?
This piece looks at the top signs a widower is serious about your relationship.
Normally, many people see widowers as lonely and sad people who can’t move on from the death of their loved ones.
However, that’s not always the case.
Like everyone else, widowers are complicated and unique individuals with their own needs, emotions, and thoughts.
As a widower, one of the hardest things about dating is that you’ll start all over in a new relationship.
If you’re dating a widower, you’ll need to know if your relationship with them has potential or if you’re merely wasting your time.
There are some signs a widower is serious about your relationship.
You’ll need them to know when he’s about to take the next step in the relationship.
Let’s get into it!
5 Signs A Widower Is Serious About Your Relationship
1. He is not pressuring you to make it official
One of the signs a widower is serious about your relationship is that he’ll not put you under any form of pressure.
He might be dragging his feet when the issue of commitment comes up because he is still grieving.
It’s understandable because no one wants to go through the torment of getting hurt the second time.
Another angle is that the widower may be feeling guilty for finding love and happiness again after the passing of their loved one.
When a widower is serious about your relationship, he will not put you under pressure to make the relationship official.
It can be that he is not ready to commit to any long-term relationship just yet.
Or he might still be scared of commitments.
Most of them equally keep an open mind when going into new relationships, in case you want to take things slowly or back out completely from the relationship.
It can also be that the widower doesn’t see the need to mount any pressure on you because he is confident about the quality of his relationship with you.
On the flip side, no pressure from either side in the relationship could mean that one party or both parties in the relationship are not interested in moving the relationship to the permanent site.
But for the sake of this topic, we’ll focus on the positive reasons.
2. He’s always open to talking about issues
What’s an experience worse than losing a loved one?
I don’t think there’s any other that tops it.
And a widower has been through the worst pain.
When they want to get into a new relationship, not only are they looking for someone who will understand what they have been through, but they’re also in search of someone who will always be there for them, every step of the way.
To a widower, being open and talking about issues as they happen is a sign that they take your relationship seriously.
Nevertheless, no matter who you’re in a relationship with, the importance of communication in every relationship cannot be overemphasized.
Having honest and open conversations about any problems you encounter in your relationship is very important if you are working towards having a healthy and successful relationship.
When the widower you’re dating doesn’t mind talking about the issues you face in the relationship, it’s a pointer to the fact that he is willing to open up to you and work through the issues he may have with you.
3. He’s always there for you
Widowed people normally have the fear of being left behind.
Most of them feel that their partners will abandon them for other people.
It doesn’t matter the amount of love they have for you and how much they want to be with you, they will always have this fear of being abandoned and left alone.
Of course, it’s no longer news that the widower has gone through so much pain and may still be in grief.
They can be serious about you and still not be ready to commit to you.
But no matter what, one thing is certain — they’ll always be there for you because they believe in the existence of true love.
They also know how unfair it feels to abandon someone else, and don’t want anyone to go through the experience with them.
4. He wants to meet your family
One of the signs a widower is serious about your relationship is that he wants to meet your family.
It is an indication that he wants to be in a relationship with you, and wants to ensure that both families are kept updated and aware of the decision.
He’ll also want you to meet his family.
Most times, widowers feel unwilling to introduce their new partners to their families because they don’t want it to look like they’re replacing their deceased spouses.
They might be afraid of how their families will see you, how you’ll settle in with them and whether they’ll accept or reject you.
Because a lot of widowers are not ready to make any commitments in relationships, they prefer to date several people.
So, one of the signs a widower is serious about your relationship is if he meets your family and takes you to meet his too.
5. He accepts the reality of the past
Even if his late spouse wasn’t perfect, he loved her and they had a perfect kind of relationship.
A widower needs to accept the reality that his wife is dead and move on.
And when he does, it is a sign that he’s serious about your relationship.
Finally, they can talk about events from the past without having the feeling that they’re making excuses for themselves.
4 Tips For Having A Healthy Relationship With A Widower
Dating a widower can be dicey as they may still be grieving and won’t be interested in getting into a new relationship just yet.
If you want to hang around and get to know them first, here are some tips to help you with your quest:
1. Individualised approach
The first thing you should keep in mind is that every widower is different.
Everyone has different expectations and needs.
Therefore, you must keep an open mind and have a clear understanding of what exactly they need from you, even if both of you are just friends.
2. Exercise patience and be understanding
Do not try to rush them into anything; they need all the time they can get before going back into the dating scene.
Let them heal from their previous relationship and discover their feelings before you think of forcing anything on them.
3. Give them time and space
If you’re interested in a widower, one of the things you should know is that he may not be ready to be in a new relationship just yet.
Before they can be able to open up their hearts and give room for other relationships, they need some space and time to grieve and heal from the loss of their spouse.
4. Handle them gently
Widowers tend to feel sensitive or fragile even way after the loss of their spouse and so, you must be gentle when handling them.
They go through a lot of grief and it may take them a long time to heal from and get over the death of a spouse.