by Cremation Association
The death of a family member or friend not only affects adults,
but also can have a profound impact on children. Children
experience grief just as adults do. Child experts say that even
before children are able to talk, they grieve when someone loved
dies. And these feelings about the death become a part of their
lives forever.
It is important to remember that children deal with death
differently at different ages and that their reactions are not
always obvious or immediate. A child at two or three years of
age has little understanding of the meaning of death while one
who is eight or nine has a capacity to grasp life's mysteries
and will remember the experience vividly. The level of a child's
emotional development should be taken into consideration by the
adult before talking to the child about death or death-related
topics.
Adults who are willing to talk openly about the death of a loved
one help a child understand that grief is a natural feeling when
someone has died. A child needs adults to confirm that it's all
right to be sad and to cry; that the hurt they feel now won't
last forever.
Caring parents can help a child during a time of loss by being
open, honest and loving and by responding to his or her
questions in a way that shows they care. When answering a
child's questions, adults should keep in mind the following:
• Tell a child only what he or she is capable of
understanding. There is no need to be evasive, but modify
explanations to what the child can comprehend. A too complicated
reply often confuses a child.
• Use language that the child can understand.
• What is said is important, but the manner in which it is
said has even greater significance. Be aware of voice tone. Try
to answer the questions in a matter-of-fact way without too much
emotion.
• Remember that what is communicated without words can be
just as meaningful to a child as what is actually said. It is
not unusual for a child to ask the same question again and
again. Repeating questions and getting answers help the child
understand and adjust to the loss of someone loved.
When a deceased family member or friend is to be cremated or
already has been cremated, your child may want to know what
cremation is. In answering your child's questions about
cremation, keep in mind the guidelines that have already been
outlined in this leaflet. Keep your explanation of what
cremation involves simple and easy-to-understand.
In explaining cremation to your child, avoid words that may have
a frightening connotation such as "fire" and
"burn". Instead, in a straight-forward manner, tell
your child that the deceased body, enclosed in a casket or
container, is taken to a place call a crematory where it goes
through a special process that reduces it to small particles
resembling fine gray or white sand. Be sure to point out that a
dead body feels no pain.
Let your child know that these cremated remains are placed in a
container called an urn and returned to the family. If cremation
has already taken place and the container picked up, you may
want to show it to the child. Because children are curious, your
child may want to look at the contents. If your child makes such
a request, look at them yourself first so that you can describe
what they look like. Share this with your child. Then let the
child decide whether to proceed further.
If possible, arrange for a time when you and your child can be
with the body before the cremation is carried out. If handled
correctly, this time can be a positive experience for the child.
It can provide an opportunity for the child to say
"goodbye" and accept the reality of death. However,
the viewing of the body should not be forced. Use your best
judgment on whether or not this should be done.
Depending on the age of your child, you may wish to include him
or her in the planning of what will be done with the cremated
remains. Before you do this, familiarize yourself with the many
types of cremation memorials available. Some of the many options
to consider include burying the remains in a family burial plot,
interring them in an urn garden that many cemeteries have, or
placing the urn in a columbarium niche. Defined as a recessed
compartment, the niche may be an open front protected by glass
or a closed front faced with bronze, marble, or granite. (An
arrangement of niches is called a columbarium, which may be an
entire building, a room, a bank along a corridor or a series of
special indoor alcoves. It also may be part of an outdoor
setting such as a garden wall.)
Although your child may not completely understand these or other
options for memorialization, being involved in the planning
helps establish a sense of comfort and understanding that life
goes on even though someone loved has died.
If you incur any difficulties in explaining death or cremation
to your child, you may wish to consult a child guidance
counselor who specializes in these areas. When a child asks
questions about cremation, adults should be prepared to answer.
