My daughter just turned 9. She has expressed very plainly on more than one occasion that she is extremely lonely. I'm a single mom and she is my only child, I will not be having more. She always asks for a sibling. I have her in gymnastics and after school care. I'll be keeping her in daycare over the summer as well. She doesn't have a lot of playdates anymore but always goes to birthday parties when we can. Her dad is barely in the picture and quite frankly doesn't give her the time of day even when she is with him. He does not have other children either. She does not have any cousins and our family is small.
We have 3 cats, so pets are already in the mix. I try to entertain her when I have the energy, when she wants me to play with her, but I don't always have the spoons and then feel guilty. I'm worried about the level of loneliness she's feeling and I don't know what to do about it. Also this is literally my first reddit post ever.