Single parenting can be strange like that. Sometimes you don’t realise how much something matters to you until you imagine it not being there anymore.

A lot of us are very good at convincing ourselves we’re “fine.” We get on with things. We muddle through. We cancel subscriptions, delete apps, tell ourselves we’re too busy to engage properly anyway. Life becomes logistics. School runs, laundry, work, dinner, emails, WhatsApps, repeat.

But connection doesn’t stop being important just because we’re busy.

So this week, we imagined asking the Frolo community a simple question:

What would you genuinely miss if Frolo disappeared tomorrow?

The answers weren’t really about 'features' at all. They were about feeling understood.

The people who understand without needing the backstory

One of the things that came up again and again was the relief of not having to explain yourself from scratch. Whether it’s a Group Chat for co-parenting struggles, dating nerves, SEND parenting, finances, narcissistic exes, or just general “how is this my life?” chaos, people talked about how comforting it is to land somewhere where everyone already gets it.

“I’d miss being able to say something completely unhinged about co-parenting and having twenty people instantly understand what I mean.”

“The Group Chats honestly got me through my divorce. I didn’t realise how lonely I’d been until I had people around me who understood without judging.”

There’s something powerful about not having to minimise your experiences to make other people comfortable. You don’t have to pretend your situation is easier than it is. You don’t have to laugh things off if you don’t want to. Sometimes, you just need people who understand why a cancelled pickup or a passive aggressive text can ruin your entire evening.

The comfort of knowing someone else is awake too

Single parenting can feel incredibly lonely at night. Once the children are in bed and the distractions stop, everything can suddenly feel very quiet. A lot of members talked about the strange comfort of opening the app late at night and finding other people there too.

Sometimes asking for advice. Sometimes venting. Sometimes just sharing a funny story about hiding in the kitchen eating biscuits.

“I’d miss the late-night scrolling when I can’t sleep and suddenly realise there are loads of other people having exactly the same kind of evening.”

“Honestly, just seeing other people muddling through helps. It reminds me I’m normal.”

Even if you never post yourself, there’s comfort in reading something and thinking: Oh thank God, it’s not just me.

The friendships that become real life

For some people, Frolo stays entirely online. For others, it quietly spills over into real life. Members talked about local Group Chats turning into coffee dates, park walks, nights out, playdates, support systems and genuine friendships. And for people who aren’t ready for that? The virtual Meetups matter just as much. Being able to join an online chat in your pyjamas after a hard day still counts as connection.

“I met one of my closest friends through a Frolo Meetup. We only went because we were both trying to force ourselves out of the house.”

“The virtual Meetups made me feel human again at a time when I barely recognised myself.”

That’s the thing about community. It doesn’t always arrive dramatically. Sometimes it starts with one comment, one message, one person saying “same here.”

A place where you don’t always have to be the strong one

A lot of single parents spend so much time holding everything together for everyone else that they stop noticing how heavy that feels. The Frolo community isn’t about having everything sorted. In fact, most people are there precisely because they don’t.

“I’d miss having somewhere I can admit I’m struggling without someone immediately trying to fix me.”

“It’s one of the only spaces where I don’t feel like I have to pretend I’m coping brilliantly all the time.”

There’s no gold star for finding single parenting easy. Sometimes the most valuable thing is simply being honest.

The reminder that you still matter too

And finally, a lot of people talked about identity. Not just being “Mum” or “Dad.” Not just being the organiser, the default parent, the practical one. But remembering you’re still a person underneath all of that.

For some, that came through the Dating side of the app. For others, through conversations, friendships, hobbies, Meetups, or simply seeing other single parents enjoying themselves again.

“I came for the dating side originally, but stayed for the community.”

“Frolo reminds me that my life isn’t over. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true.”

And perhaps that’s what people would really miss most.

Not just the Frolo app itself, but the feeling it gives them.

The feeling that somebody, somewhere, understands.

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