When a family member passes on, you might feel like your children should come with you to the funeral home in Elton, PA to honor that special person in your life. There are reasons to leave kids behind with someone else, but if you feel it’s important for them to be there, you will want to go through these tips to get through the process with them by your side.
Tip 1: Explain What To Expect
Many kids haven’t been to a final service before and they have no idea what they will encounter when they arrive. Sit your child down and talk to them about the funeral process. They need to know what they will see, what they will hear, and what the atmosphere will be in the venue. The more they know, the less scared they will be and the more likely they are to understand the whole process.
Tip 2: Talk About Service Importance
After your child knows what will take place at the service, you might also want to tell them why the service is important to you and to the rest of your family. Tell them that people need to say a final goodbye to their loved ones and that it’s nice to honor someone after they pass on. IF you have anything you, specifically, are looking forward to getting from the service, you can tell them about that as well.
Tip 3: Discuss Their Expected Behavior
Before your child went off to school, you may have told them how you expected to behave. You want them to listen to their teacher, obey the rules, and do their work, and so on. When they are going to attend a funeral service, they aren’t going to know how to act unless you tell them. Let them know that they are going to have to sit quietly and not interrupt other people. Remind them that those in attendance are going through a hard time and you don’t want to disrupt them. Once they know how you want them to act, they at least have an idea of what you expect from them.
Tip 4: Sit In The Back Of The Room
Even if you prepared your child, they are unpredictable creatures and they may need the restroom, throw a fit for a drink, or something else that you don’t expect. You should sit in the back of the room just in case you need to take them and duck out. That way, you disrupt as few people as possible.
Tip 5: Bring Things To Do
While you aren’t going to want to hand your phone over for your child to play with during the service, you can bring some other things for them to do, either during the service or at the reception. Books that they like, for example, or coloring pages. Something quiet that won’t disrupt others, is respectful, but also is something that will keep your child occupied if they get restless. At the funeral home in Elton, PA professionals can give you more tips.