When you hear that a friend or family member has passed on, you might want to attend their final services at funeral homes in Shelby Charter Township, MI. If you have children in your life, you are used to taking them along with you wherever you go. Perhaps they knew the person who died and you feel the final service would benefit them. Or, maybe you want to attend and you don’t have anywhere else for your child to go. Either way, here’s some advice for bringing a child to the funeral home service.

Only Take Kids Who Can Handle It

Before you take your child to the funeral home service, you are going to want to ensure they can handle what will happen at that service. If your child is a baby, for example, they won’t know what is going on, but they might cry if they’re hungry or tired. If your child is old enough to understand, they can handle the proceedings if you prepare them. If you don’t think your child is mature enough to handle what will happen, it’s best not to take them at all.

Prepare Your Kids For What Will Take Place

Once you decide that your child can handle the funeral home service, you will want to prepare them for what is going to happen. If it’s a traditional service, you know basically what will happen, what they will see, and some of the things they will hear. Tell them that there will be people who are crying and others who are sad. The more they know about what will happen, the better they will be able to handle things as they come.

Provide Possible Entertainment

If your child gets bored, you certainly don’t want them to start acting up at the funeral home. Perhaps consider sticking some coloring books or picture books in a bag so they have entertainment available, if needed. You don’t want to just hand them your phone to play games because that can seem disrespectful and you never know when they might hit a button and turn on the sound.

Sit Near The Back, Just In Case

When you take a child to something serious and somber like a funeral home service, you are going to want to sit near the back of the room, just in case. You can make an easy escape if your child starts acting up, or if they have to use the bathroom. You don’t want to distract anyone from the process at hand.

When you are trying to arrange attending the services at funeral homes in Shelby Charter Township, MI, the professionals at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home can give you more advice and tips for taking your child to such a service. We want you to get what you need through the services, and to be able to honor that special loved one in a way that is respectful to them. We’re here to support you in every way.

There are plenty of ways to plan for your future. If you have a loved one who wants to plan well in advance and get their own final services lined up with funeral homes in Clinton Township, MI you might see the merit in that idea. You won’t have the burdens of making those plans in the future and you know just what your loved one wanted. Here are a few things you can do to help your loved ones with their pre-plans as they make the plans for the future.

Research Funeral Homes For Them

One of the first things your loved one is going to need is a funeral home to help them with the process. You can help them start off on the right foot by researching the funeral homes in the area. Perhaps you know that they want a certain funeral service and that can help you narrow the list down. Or, you can simply look at websites, read reviews, and make some phone calls. Once you have information on the options, you can pass it over to them to make the ultimate decision. Doing the legwork for them can really help them out with the funeral process.

Get Into Pros And Cons Of Cremation Versus Traditional Services

Your loved one may not know what they want just yet, and that’s okay. You can support their decision-making process by looking into the pros and cons of cremation versus other traditional funeral and burial services. There are pros on each side and cons as well. Once they know what those are, they might be able to line themselves up with the plans that fit the most.

Help Them Form A Budget

One of the things your loved one will want to think about is the budget they have to offer to the process. Many people who plan ahead will also want to pay in advance. Help your loved one come up with a budget by looking into options so they know what kind of budget is reasonable for the process. You can also help them figure out what they want and how they can afford it at a price they can afford.

Go With Them To Visit The Professionals

When your loved one gets to a point in the process where they want to talk to the funeral home professionals, you can go along with them to that location. Listen to the advice and the details and be a second set of eyes and ears. Later, when they are processing things at home, you can remind them of certain details they may not have noticed or have since forgotten. Having your support can really help them through the planning process.

Support The Decisions They Make

One of the biggest things you can do is also very simple. Just support their pre-planning process with funeral homes in Clinton Township, MI. Let them know you are there for whatever they need. The funeral professionals at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home will do the same.

Funeral homes in Clinton Township, MI are there to help you to give your loved ones what they need and to honor them in the way they deserve. And while final services allow you to get the closure you need and give you a chance to say a final goodbye, they are not the beginning and end of your grieving process. There are plenty of ways you can work through your grief once the funeral is over and behind you. Here are a few things you might want to consider doing:

Use A Grief Journal

When you are grieving, it is hard to process your emotions. If you’ve always liked the written word, having a journal filled with your thoughts, letters to your loved one and other such things can help you to get out what you need to vent and find ways to heal. It’s nice to have somewhere you can go with your emotions at any time.

Continue Old Traditions

If you took a walk with your loved one every Saturday morning, you might want to continue taking that walk. Invite a friend or another family member along or take your dog and simply think of your loved one as you walk and the things you might have talked about if they were there with you. Continuing some of those old traditions in a new way can help you to move forward with your life.

Make A Memory Box

You may have special items that remind you of your loved one, like costume jewelry they used to wear, a letter they wrote to you, and pictures of them with your family members. Compile these items and place them in a special box that can hold those memories for you. The box can be something you pull out when you want to think of them. You can even share the items you have collected with other family members if you want.

Plant A Garden

If your loved one liked gardening or enjoyed a certain kind of flower, you might want to plan some of the things they enjoyed in your yard so you can remember them that way. You can cut the flowers, on occasion, and bring them into your home so you can think of them. Planting new life in their honor can make you smile when you think about them and the garden you planted for them.

Have Other Memorials

The initial final funeral arrangements don’t have to be the only thing you do for your loved one. You can have other memorials for them as the months or even years go by. Consider gathering your family to share memories every year around the anniversary of their death. You can even have a family dinner on their birthday and other such things.

When you want to keep a loved one’s memory fresh after their final services, funeral homes in Clinton Township, MI can offer you ideas and options to consider. Contact the funeral professionals at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home at any time.