Spring is supposed to feel like a fresh start.

There’s more light, more warmth, more opportunities to get out and do things. After months of grey days and early evenings, everything opens up again.

But for many single parents, spring can bring something else with it too.

A quiet kind of loneliness.

When the days get longer, the gaps feel bigger

During winter, life naturally contracts. Evenings are short, plans are minimal, and there’s a kind of permission to stay in, keep things simple, get through the day.

Spring shifts that.

Suddenly there’s more time in the evenings. Weekends feel longer. Parks are full, cafés are busier, families and couples are out enjoying the lighter days.

And it can highlight what you don’t have.

Not in a dramatic, overwhelming way necessarily. Sometimes it’s just a small moment. Watching other families together at the park. Seeing couples making plans. Not having someone to share the small, everyday bits of life with.

Those moments can land a bit harder when everything around you is opening up.

The pressure to “make the most of it”

There’s also an unspoken expectation that you should be doing more in spring.

Getting out more. Making plans. Filling weekends with activities. Creating those “nice days” for your kids.

And while that can be lovely, it can also be exhausting when you’re the one responsible for organising everything.

Every outing takes effort. Every plan requires energy. There’s no one to share the mental load of deciding where to go, what to bring, how to make it work.

Sometimes, the pressure to make the most of spring can make it harder to enjoy it.

Missing the small things

Loneliness as a single parent isn’t always about big, obvious moments.

Often, it’s the small things.

Having someone to chat to at the end of the day. Sharing a joke. Tag-teaming bedtime. Saying, “Can you just keep an eye on things for five minutes?”

Spring, with its longer days and more time spent together as a family, can make those small absences feel more noticeable.

Especially when you’re tired.

Letting it be what it is

One of the most helpful things can be simply acknowledging the feeling, rather than trying to push it away.

You can enjoy the sunshine and still feel lonely sometimes. You can have a nice day out and still wish there was someone else there to share it with.

Both things can be true.

Taking the pressure off yourself to feel a certain way about spring can make it easier to move through those moments without them becoming overwhelming.

Finding connection in smaller, easier ways

Connection doesn’t have to mean big plans or new routines.

It can be much smaller than that.

• messaging someone who gets it
• meeting another parent for a quick coffee
• joining a casual meetup rather than organising something yourself
• sharing how you’re feeling instead of keeping it in

Even small points of connection can make a big difference, especially when the loneliness is more of a background feeling than a crisis.

You’re not the only one feeling this

It can sometimes feel like everyone else is embracing spring effortlessly, filling their time with plans and enjoying the longer days.

But that’s rarely the full picture.

There are so many single parents feeling a similar mix of things, appreciating parts of the season while also finding it a bit challenging.

You’re not behind. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just navigating a lot, in a season that can bring things up.

If spring has been feeling a bit lonely lately, you’re not alone in that. The Frolo app is full of single parents who understand exactly this mix of feelings. Whether you want to chat, join a meetup, or just scroll and feel a bit less alone, it’s all there when you need it.

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