How To Be A Happy Single Parent

When I started writing articles about single parenting and my life as a single mum, I was blown away by the response from readers. I was writing to try and help to fill the gap in representation for single parents in mainstream media, and because I didn’t know what I was doing and was learning as I went; I thought maybe I could help a few single parents along the way.

I met Zoë Desmond when she was in the early stages of launching her ground-breaking Frolo app, a community space when single and solo mums and dads from all backgrounds could connect and build a support network, both on and offline. Our journeys to single motherhood were very similar, and we had both found the first few years incredibly tough, not least because we were navigating them alone.

Zoë was inspired to create Frolo, to help others avoid the loneliness and isolation that can add to the struggle of so many single parents starting out. I was inspired to write about single motherhood and focus more of my journalism on giving a voice to non-traditional family set-ups, because the shame and stigma of single parenthood can also add the weight of going it alone. As soon as I met Zoë we started talking about the need for an inclusive guide to single parenting, that could help people get started with confidence on the next chapter in their family life.

The Book

How To Be A Happy Single Parent was written to help all single and solo parents, however they’ve come to be flying solo, build a life that is right for them, and their children. It guides all newly single and solo mums and dads through surviving the first few weeks to moving on, through legal matters, co-parenting negotiations. It talks them through finding a helping hand as a solo parent and into dating and navigating work and holidays alone with the kids (or without them!).

Zoë and I want to show people that single parenting isn’t something to survive, it’s a life that’s filled with opportunities and adventures. It is a life worth celebrating and aspiring to.

Who Is It For?

Because Zoë and I have similar single parenting journeys, we wanted to make sure that our book was useful for as many different family setups as possible. Because one of the most wonderful things about the single parenting community is how diverse it is. So we invited a host of single and solo parents from all backgrounds and in a host of different situations to share their stories with us and show us that whatever your setup, you’re not doing this alone. This book is for the co-parents, the widow/ers, the solo mums and dads by choice, the solo adopters, and the would-be single parents.