I (37F) need help supporting my husband (41M) through his mother's (60sF) death and his father (60sM) looking for a new companion

So, long story short, my MIL was diagnosed with cancer in February and passed away in April. It's been incredibly hard for his brother and sister and him. Honestly, it's sucked pretty bad for us inlaws as well. She was incredibly kind and loving and the whole thing has been pretty shocking. She was in her early 60s, healthy... that kind of thing. It was liver cancer.

Onto the issue at hand now. My husband's mom and dad were married for close to 50 years. (Around 46 to 47 years) My FIL was incredibly dependent on my MIL. She cooked, cleaned, took care of bills... basically did all the stuff so my FIL could work and she was his constant companion. (She did work as well. She was a postal carrier for 30+ years before she retried around 6 years ago)

My husband found out today that his dad has started talking to women again. He's looking for companionship. And I understand it, honestly. It's been nearly 50 years since he was alone. But, my husband feels upset. And, yeah, it's pretty fast. My MIL battled highly aggressive cancer for about 2 months before she passed. He's worried his dad will be judged by the people in his small town. He's afraid of meeting a new woman as a partner to his father. He's still heavily grieving his mom. It's been, well, a lot to deal with on his end.

I understand both sides completely. What I'm asking for is how to support my husband's feelings without disrega rding my FIL's needs and feelings at the same time. How to reassure him that his dad isn't forgetting his mom (it's impossible to forget his mom) and just moving on with life like she never mattered. I'm honestly lost and feel like I'm failing my husband and his dad.

Any advice is welcome.

Tl;Dr: MIL (60sF) passed after a two month battle with cancer. My FIL (60sM) has begun looking for a new companion. My husband (41M) is struggling to understand and feels like his father is trying to replace his mom.

Submitted May 15, 2023 at 07:32PM by mgulley08 https://ift.tt/IltrdGp