Mother's Day is normally a time to celebrate mothers, grandmothers and the mother figures in your life. But for some Mother's Day can be a rather painful reminder of a mother lost far too soon. In our last article, we discussed how to memorialize a lost mother, grandmother or mother figure but there is one aspect of losing a mother that many do not like to think about: what it's like to lose a mother when you're young.

Most will lose their mothers when they are well into adulthood and most will lose their grandmothers likely in their late childhood or getting into their teens. But whether one loses a mother young due to a sudden tragic loss or due to chronic illness, it is especially painful and difficult. Here are a few ways you can support someone young who lost their mother.

A mother's role is to teach important skills, especially to young ladies and losing your mother at such a tender age can create an undeniable gap in a young lady's life. If you are in a position where you can mentor or are close to the family, offer your skills to help out a recently motherless daughter. Sometimes that role will mean being a confidant, being someone willing to listen, being someone who can answer at times difficult questions. That role is not always easy to fill but if you can do so, it will likely make the pain of loss a little easier to bear for a motherless daughter. For young men the role can be quite similar, mothers often teach empathy and compassion to their sons and those skills will have to be taught by someone who is capable of providing such mentorship. If you do not feel like you are in a place to provide such levels of mentorship, offer various community or church groups that can help either teach those important life skills or can certainly point someone in the right direction.

Whether the loss of a mother is sudden and unexpected or at the end of a long battle with chronic illness, therapy can be an invaluable resource. Grief is complex, especially for young people who don't always have the tools to handle such complicated feelings emotionally or have the tools to cope with such feelings.

Losing a mother is never easy and losing a mother young is especially difficult. This Mother's Day, take the time out to support those who have lost their moms: they will surely appreciate the thought.