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[quote=Anonymous]I took my 2yr old to our next door neighbor's funeral (partly because I had no childcare).  And I took our 3yo and 5yo to my dad's funeral.  And we visit our family and relatives at the cemetery together.  We have buried a family pet together (not a dog or cat).  I have received judgments for doing these things and so there have been times I've second guessed my decisions, but in the long run I absolutely have no regrets.

They are bright and curious and deal with some anxiety, so we have navigated a lot of questions.  But we are pretty forthright about death as a natural part of life, and while they have gone through some periods at a younger age where it seemed like they worried too much about death/dying - I think it was ultimately part of them processing their feelings about it and they are now pretty secure and mature about their perspectives on it (at age 8 and 10).

Also, I do believe it's quite developmentally normal and natural for children to start worrying about death and having lots of questions about it around age 5-7.  That's when they start to really understand that people don't ever come back after they die.

At the same time, I think you should know your kids and know what they can handle at what time.  And I don't think you should force your children to do something they clearly do not want to do.  But I think it's important to have open conversations about it to help them process their feelings about it and not treat it as a taboo subject that is scary and mysterious.  At age 7, I think they can have a bit of say as to whether they want to attend the funeral or not.  [/quote]

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