D
DOJ96
Guest
If the deceased is a close friend or loved one, we attend as a family. If it was someone my children didn’t know, I would most likely get a sitter.
In our family, everyone finds comfort and even joy with children at funerals - they are a reminder that life goes on and give people a reason to smile. When I was a baby, my mother tells me that my presence at her grandmother’s visitation/funeral was appreciated by her grieving family. When my daughter was a baby, she accompanied us to my grandmother’s and my cousin’s visitations/funerals and I saw how people responded to her. It was like a cloud lifted for a little while.
Now that she is in elementary school, it would be trickier, but I wouldn’t want to lie to her. I had a similar experience to PolarGuy and will probably handle it the same way. Although I hope we don’t have to attend any funerals for a very long time. You know your kids, so you make the best choice you can.
In our family, everyone finds comfort and even joy with children at funerals - they are a reminder that life goes on and give people a reason to smile. When I was a baby, my mother tells me that my presence at her grandmother’s visitation/funeral was appreciated by her grieving family. When my daughter was a baby, she accompanied us to my grandmother’s and my cousin’s visitations/funerals and I saw how people responded to her. It was like a cloud lifted for a little while.
Now that she is in elementary school, it would be trickier, but I wouldn’t want to lie to her. I had a similar experience to PolarGuy and will probably handle it the same way. Although I hope we don’t have to attend any funerals for a very long time. You know your kids, so you make the best choice you can.