Sheinelle Jones talks parenting amid her grief 1 year after husband's death

It's been one year since Sheinelle Jones's husband, Uche Ojeh, died from brain cancer. For the "Today" show host, that means it's been one year of being a single mother to three grieving kids.

Ojeh died on May 18, 2025. Jones shared three children with Ojeh, including Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.

Jones has been grieving, too. She said she's run the gamut of emotions over the last year, often holding several feelings at once.

"I don't run from how I feel. If I cry, I cry. If I'm happy, I'm happy. You know, I've talked about it a lot, and I firmly believe you can hold two things," Jones recently told USA TODAY, adding she's been much more "in tune" with her emotions lately. "And I think my kids are, too."

Sheinelle Jones is learning to let the little things go

Jones said she's still figuring out how to parent through her grief. It hasn't always been easy.

In the early days after her husband died, if one of her teenagers didn't do their homework, she didn't feel like fighting them on it.

"I can't be the parent who's yelling at them for not getting their homework done, because the reality is, I can't think, either," she said.

She learned to let the small things slide.

"I'm not in the place to be fussing with them about stuff that doesn't matter," Jones said. "We know now what really matters. And so, you know, do I want you to be on your phone right now? Would I rather you put your phone down and eat dinner? Sure, and obviously, to a certain extent, I still have to make sure that happens. But they have a much longer leash with me now, because we all heal in different ways."

Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

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