If you’re struggling over Mother’s or Father’s Day and in the run-up to it, you are not alone. Far from it – we know first hand how many people out there aren’t able to enjoy time with their Mums, and this year, more people than ever are feeling isolated from family. So, to kick things off in Other’s Day style, we’ve compiled a list of resources and organisations doing their best to support anybody who might be struggling. If you need somebody to talk to, or just to look at a website and know that other people have been through it too, there are places you can go.
Estrangement
Check out Stand Alone if you’re an adult living through estrangement. They have a whole host of information, podcasts and stories you can wade through and know that other people get what it is to not be in touch with parents. You can also donate to Stand Alone’s work, helping them change legislation to support more people. You can catch us in conversation with Stand Alone’s Becca Bland, too – we’ll share the link in on Instagram once it’s live. And if you’d like to know more about supporting estranged young people, head here for information.
Bereavement
Head to Let’s Talk About Loss if you’re a young person dealing with loss – they offer support for 18-35 year-olds, at an age when a lot of their same-age peers might not be able to relate. The New Normal also offer support to young people dealing with grief, through meet-ups in London, John Hopkins run meetings to help people share and understand grief or loss, and The Good Grief Trust have a huge amount of information for all ages online and free to access. And finally, Care for the Family have a really good list of organisations supporting different groups of people through bereavement – you might find just what you or a loved one needs on there.
Child Loss
Child Bereavement UK and the Miscarriage Association are here for anybody who’s lost a child or gone through a miscarriage, and have a really helpful page on how you can support somebody you know who is living through that experience. John Hopkins also have a wealth of support for anybody dealing with the loss of a child, including meet-ups.
LGBTQI+
The Rainbow Project have resources for LGBTQI+ families, and Mind are offering a new initiative that specifically looks to support the community. And, if you’re LGBTQI+ and want to know more about parental rights, Stonewall have a huge amount of information available online.
Care-Leavers
For adults who grew up as look-after children, Mother’s Day holds so many triggers and tough moments, so we’ve looked for organisations who are on-hand to support. Rees champion and support care-leavers for as long as they’re needed, and in various different ways. If you know a looked-after child or are a young person in need of support, try Become Charity for lots of information and a community of people who get it, and for general support The Care-Leavers Foundation help out with grants.
Thought for the day…
At this time of year, these organisations will be busy, so might not be able to reply to everybody individually or straight away – it’s a great idea to read through their stories and information if you’re feeling alone. And, as always, connect with people on #othersday over on Instagram where so many people open their hearts and stories to help.