Death is a natural part of life and in the event that someone in your life passes away, you and your family will attend a funeral. As adults, we know what to expect at one but for children, it is a whole new territory. When A was about 2 years old, my maternal grandmother passed away and we attended the funeral. We didn’t really explain anything about death to A at that time because she was too young and didn’t really understand what was going on.
However, about two weeks ago, my father-in-law passed away. He had been sick for over 10 years but it was still sudden and happened so quickly. We are still coping with the loss but as Christians, we take comfort in the fact that he is in heaven and that there is no more pain or suffering. (1 Corinthians 15:42-53)
As adults dealing with grief, we can surround ourselves with friends and other family members to find comfort and find the support we need during such a difficult time. But what about children- especially young children? First of all, they don’t know what to expect at a funeral. Second, they might not even know how to express their emotions about the situation. Third, they will probably have a lot of questions.
Despite being categorized as an Advanced Maternal Age (AMA) mom, I don’t look quite my age so I don’t get that many comments about being an older mom. If you look closely though, you will see my many gray hairs and fine lines but for the most part, people rarely guess my age correctly.
