Hi everyone,
I lost my wife in 2022 to breast cancer. She was only 33, and since then I’ve been a widowed parent to our two young boys. I’m doing the best I can on my own, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a struggle — especially financially.
I received the Bereavement Support Payment: the initial lump sum, which went straight towards my wife’s funeral, and then £350 a month for 18 months. But once those 18 months are up, it just stops. Going from that extra £350 a month to nothing is honestly quite tough.
I’m working part-time now, and the hours aren’t ideal, but there isn’t much flexibility around school hours. It just feels like there should be better long-term support in place for widowed parents who are raising children alone. When a couple separates, the parent the children live with usually receives financial support through CSA or a private agreement until the child is 16 — so why is there nothing similar for a parent who has lost their partner entirely, aside from those 18 months?
Sorry, just a bit of a rant, but I’d love nothing more than to be a stay-at-home dad and be fully present for my boys. I miss out on so much — school plays, open days, all those moments that matter — because of the hours I work. And they miss out on having a parent there too, which breaks my heart.