When a family member passes on, there are a lot of things to take care of. You need to figure out what services you want to do with the funeral homes in Baltimore, MD in order to take care of your loved one’s needs. But you also have other family members that are going to need you during this hard time, including your children. As you make final service plans, you might wonder if your child should go to the services or stay home with a friend or babysitter. Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to make that difficult decision.
How Close Was Your Child To The Deceased?
If a cousin of yours has passed away and your child didn’t really know them, you may not feel like they need to attend the services. That person wasn’t really in their life anyway so they won’t need closure or to say a final goodbye. However, you do need that opportunity. And you might have an easier time processing the death if you are on your own without your child to care for while you mourn at the service. On the other hand, if it was a grandparent that passed away, your child knows who that is and has their own relationship. In those cases, they might need to attend the service to get what they need to move forward.
How Old Is Your Child?
Babies and young children don’t understand what is going on around them at a funeral. They probably don’t know what death is, though they can definitely feel the loss and the absence of someone close to them. You will have to make a judgment call as to how old your child is and how they might act at the service. Babies might sleep through it, or they might cry and distract others. Toddlers are often very busy and they may not know what’s going on. Older children can grasp the seriousness of the situation and can get things they might need from the services as well.
What Do They Want?
If your child is old enough, you may want to ask them what they want to do about the service. Tell them what it will be like and the things they might get from going. But if the idea scares them and they really don’t want to attend, don’t force them. Everyone grieves in their own way and perhaps your child doesn’t need a funeral in order to mourn the loss of a loved one they knew.
There are lots of ways to go about making the decision as to whether or not your child will go to the final services at funeral homes in Baltimore, MD with you. If you have questions about what you should do and need some advice, call the professionals at Hari P. Close Funeral Service, P.A. While we can’t tell you what to do, we can offer other questions to ask yourself to try and make the right choice.
