When a loved one dies, everyone in your family can feel that loss and can be affected by it. This includes children. One of the questions that many parents have when they are dealing with this kind of family loss is whether or not to take the child to the person’s funeral or memorial service. This can be crucial to consider, since attending a service can offer the kind of closure that your child needs. To know if you should take your child, here are some things that directors of funeral homes in Ogden, UT want you to know.
Think about how close the person who died was to your child. This can help you make the best decision. If your child was very close to the person, they will be able to benefit more from the service and they will be able to get the closure they need. Your child might even ask you to attend, so it can be important to listen to them and to their wishes.
You want to take into consideration if your child understands what death is. A child that does not will not be able to benefit from attending a funeral or memorial service. This is something that can be tough to gauge. You will want to pay attention to how your child responds when you let them know of the death, since this can give you clues as to how much they understood of what has happened. If you see that your child is confused by the idea of death or they are too young to understand the permanence of it, they may not be able to benefit from the service.
It is also crucial that you ask your child if they want to go to the service. Sometimes children will let you know at once if they want to go or not, but other times they may not be sure. If your child tells you that they do not want to go, it is very important that you do not force them to do so. This can have negative effects you do not want. If they do want to go, you should not forbid them from doing so. Listening to your child and honoring their wishes is important.
All of these things can make a difference when deciding if your child is ready to go to a funeral or memorial service. You want to gauge how much they understand of death and how close they were to the person who died, as well as whether or not they want to go. If you still are not sure about this, you can reach out to an Ogden, UT funeral home like us at Aaron’s Mortuary & Crematory. We are here to answer any questions you may have about this and to decide on the best options for your loved ones. Give us a call right now or stop by one of our locations today to know more.