Sheryl Sandberg says adult children can help a widowed parent with a simple message

Sheryl Sandberg, Meta's former chief operating officer, lost her husband, Dave Goldberg, in 2015 when their children were aged 10 and 7. She later married Tom Bernthal in 2022. Sandberg recounted a poignant moment during a recent trip to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where she experienced grief over Goldberg's passing. Her 21-year-old son, who had previously advised her against remarriage, unexpectedly encouraged her to recreate a photo with Bernthal, expressing that Goldberg would be pleased to see her with a new partner.

Sandberg emphasized that one of the most significant ways adult children can support a widowed parent is through a simple message: permission and encouragement to move on and find companionship. Often, widowed parents feel isolated as their adult children return to their own lives, and Sandberg urged grown children to recognize the impact they can have on their parent's search for love and connection.