How old should a child be before they attend a funeral?

[kpupg]

I took all 4 of my dc (12' date=' 10, 6, 2) to the wake and funeral Mass. I did talk to them before everything so they would know what to expect. They had cousins around too. They were very close to my dad. I think it's good for kids to see the whole cycle of life and death, especially if you explain it in the context of your faith. [/quote']

 

 

:iagree:

 

I also agree with Unicorn's comment to let the child lead ... my mom is still traumatized by being forced to kiss her dead mother's body in its casket ... back in the 1940's when poor rural people still did that ...

 

... but children need to say good-bye also. They can understand death at their own level. I attended multiple funerals at age 4-5 and I'm glad I was there, even though I didn't get the full understanding at the time. My own children were the only children at dh's great-aunt's funeral a few years back ... that was sad, but it's a weird family ...

 

Sympathies to you and yours,

Karen

[IsabelC]

I would take (and have taken) a child of any age to a funeral. I believe that efforts to shield children from death and funerals, however well meaning, are not good for children. If they are grieving over the departure of a loved one, I can't see how it helps to exclude them from the family/community getting together to deal with this. Of course, there could be specific issues that apply to particular kids, I'm just talking generally. For me, the only reservation would be that my kids might disturb others during the service. So for those who can't yet be quiet and still enough, I would say it's necessary to be able to take a child outside for a bit if needed.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Hotdrink