There are all manner of things that you want to consider when you lose a loved one and the death has impacted your child. You want them to be able to get the closure that they need and many times this can leave you wondering if they should attend the funeral or memorial. If that is something that you are worried about, directors of funeral homes in Glendale, AZ want you to consider a few things so that you can make the best choice for your child.
You want to consider how close the child was to the person. The closer they were, the more important it is that the child get closure after their passing. If the child shows a lot of grief after their loss, this can also be an indication that the child needs closure, so it can be vital that they attend the service. Many times, you can get a good sense of all of this when you let the child know of the death. Their reaction will tell you what they need.
You need to gauge their understanding of death. Have a conversation with them and let them know what has happened in simple and honest terms. If you see that they understand, then it can be a good idea to offer for them to go to the service. If a child does not really understand what has happened, then going to the service may not be beneficial. It may actually cause confusion and uncertainty, which is not what you want your child to feel after a loss.
You also want to see if your child wants to attend. If your child insists on going to the service, it can be detrimental not to let them do so. If, however, the child does not want to go, you definitely do not want to force them to do so. Keep that in mind. Forcing a child to go to a service they do not want to attend can have the opposite effect to what you want. If the child does want to go, you want to ask them on the day of the service to make sure that they still want to go. Sometimes, children are afraid of saying they have changed their minds.
All of these things can help you decide if your child is ready for this step. You never want to force the child to go if they do not want to, and you want to consider asking them directly if they would want to attend. The best thing that you can do is to listen to your child and to consider how close the person was to the child. If you still have questions about this, you can reach out to a Glendale, AZ funeral home like us. Our team is here to help you through this difficult moment in your life. You can give us a call right now or you can stop by one of our locations today to see what we can provide for you and your loved ones.