| Children experience grief just as adults do. However, it is important to remember that children deal with death differently at different ages and their reactions are not always obvious or immediate. Some children mature faster than others. The level of a child’s emotional development should be taken into consideration by an adult before talking to a child about death or bringing them into a funeral home.
From the Funeral Director’s perspective no restrictions are placed on the family. The final decision to bring young children to the funeral home is always their’s to make and will depend on the child and the circumstances. Nevertheless the funeral director can assist those adults willing to talk openly to their child or children about the death of a love one. There are some wonderful resource materials available for both children and adults relating to the death of a parent, grandparent or special relative or friend that the funeral director can provide or recommend. Some of these include coloring books for children depicting the various stages of a funeral and brochures for adults on answering a child’s questions about death. The animated musical video Charlotte’s Web, a story of miracles – the miracle of birth, the miracle of friendship, the miracle of death also provides children with exceptional insight into some of life’s mysteries.
A child needs adults to confirm that it’s all right to be sad and to cry; that the hurt they feel now won’t last forever.
Please click 'Helping Children ' if you would like to learn more information about this topic. |
