If a family member passes on and your family decides to go with cremation services in Brunswick, OH for them, your child might not really know what that is, what happens, or how to deal with that method. They may never have witnessed a memorial service before and their confusion can cloud their grief. Here are a few tips as to how you are going to want to discuss that method with them.
While there are some things you might want to shield your child from until they are older, being anything but honest with them will do them a disservice. You can talk to them about the method by telling them cremation is a way to change the body’s form. Your loved one is never harmed and they are not being ‘burned’. Rather, they are placed in a crematory that is heated up and their body simply changes from its current form into an ash-like substance. Knowing that there’s no flame and no harming can help them to feel better about the cremation method.
You may not have to get into large details with your child. Simply ask them what they want to know and answer questions from there. They might want to know what your loved one is feeling and you can let them know that they don’t feel anything. They may want to know what you are going to do without that person, and you can answer that as best you can. Give them lots of hugs and fill in the answers as best you can, including extras if you feel they need to know more than they are asking.
Cremation is often followed by a memorial service at some point and you are going to want your child to understand what will happen at that service. Memorials are often unique and not all of them are traditional. If you will attend a traditional memorial, your child will need to be prepared to sit still, listen, and see others cry. If it’s more of a celebration of life, there might be food, activities, story sharing, and other casual, uplifting things. Find out the details on the memorial and pass them along to your child.
It’s okay to cry around your child so they can follow your example and let their own emotions out when they feel them, too. Give them lots of extra hugs and ask how they are doing and what they are feeling. They can be a support to you, as you can be to them. Grief is different for everyone, but together, you can get through it.
If you feel like your child would benefit from grief support, like talking to a counselor, the professionals that helped with cremation services in Brunswick, OH can give you resources for people in the area that can walk them through their emotions in an expert manner. There are other options, too.