08-08-2012, 11:55 PM
When I was five my parents took me to an open casket funeral for a two year old baby. My mom babysat for him and his twin brother and the one brother was perfectly fine, but the other one was severely retarded and had all kinds of medical problems. I was afraid to touch him because he had a head brace and really bad seizures.
I remember walking up to the casket with my mom and I didn't know what to do, I wasn't sure if I should hold his hand or start sobbing like all the adults. I can't remember exactly what I felt, but I wouldn't say it was traumatizing. It would actually be a lot worse now because I can't even imagine what that must have been like for the parents, at the age of 5 you don't think about those kind of things.
Anyway, I probally wouldn't take my 5 year old to a funeral like that, but I think around the age of 8 most kids are able to understand what a funeral is and make their own decision if they want to go or not.
I remember walking up to the casket with my mom and I didn't know what to do, I wasn't sure if I should hold his hand or start sobbing like all the adults. I can't remember exactly what I felt, but I wouldn't say it was traumatizing. It would actually be a lot worse now because I can't even imagine what that must have been like for the parents, at the age of 5 you don't think about those kind of things.
Anyway, I probally wouldn't take my 5 year old to a funeral like that, but I think around the age of 8 most kids are able to understand what a funeral is and make their own decision if they want to go or not.