Children’s questions about funeral services

We recently attended a funeral service with our 10-year-old son. After viewing the deceased in the casket our son asked the question, “Does the man have his pants on since we can’t see his legs?”

Whenever you are talking with children, be honest with them.
If you don’t know the answers, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know”.

If there is anything we can do to help explain a situation associated with the funeral service, let us do that.

In that particular situation, I would ask the family, “Is it okay if I open up the lower portion of the casket so your son can see their legs and see that we placed his pants on and placed his favorite socks on him?” Often times, we might put a golf club in the casket with them or holding a ball or a letter from a family member or a photo.

If children have questions, you need to be open, upfront and offer honest answers. Don’t just say something to keep them quiet.