How old were you the first time you visited a funeral home in Peoria, AZ? Perhaps you were a teen when your grandparent passed away or, if you were really lucky, even a full adult. Funeral homes are intimidating places because they deal with death, something no one can fully understand in life. We’re all afraid of the unknown and since funeral homes deal with the unknown aspects of death regularly, many people, especially children, get nervous about attending funerals and visiting funeral homes. If you have a child in your life that is about to attend a final service with you at a funeral home, here are some things you can do to help them through the process.
Explain What Will Happen
Your child may not understand everything that happens at a funeral, but you can remove some of the fear from the process by preparing them and telling them exactly what will happen. Talk about the songs you’ll sing, that people will speak about the departed, and that many will likely be crying. The more they know about what goes on, the less likely they are to be surprised and afraid.
Open With Questions
You may now know what your child is thinking and feeling and not every child is just going to ask. Make sure they know you are open to their questions. You may not have all of the answers, like why the person passed away when they did or what happened to them after they passed on, but if your child knows they can come to you and ask, they will be less afraid at the funeral home because they got their fears out in the open with you.
Comfort Emotions
Children all react differently to death and it’s important to let them know that any emotion they have revolving around the death is okay. Your child might want to cry, or they might want to ignore the issue and move on, so they don’t have to deal with it. You never know when the sadness is going to hit them and when it does, be there for them to comfort them as best you can. Allow them to react and move through their grief at their own pace, just like anyone.
It’s hard to deal with death at any age, but children who haven’t experienced these emotions before are especially susceptible to fears. When you are planning to attend services at funeral homes in Peoria, AZ, do your best to support your child through their process and their grief, however it comes about. The professionals at Thompson Funeral Chapel can help set up final services, but we’re also here with grief resources, if you need them for your child or even yourself. Call us at (623) 932-1780 and we can answer questions by phone or meet with us in person. We’re located at 926 S Litchfield Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85338 and we’re here to help you with any grief-related elements as well as final service plans.
