Why We Take Our Kids to Funeral Services and Hospital Visits
‘Why do you take Brie along to the hospital? Aren’t you afraid of her getting sick, too?’, someone asked me the other day.
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Here’s what happened:
I picked Brie up from school and brought her along with me to a hospital to visit someone who’s been amputated, bed-ridden, for more than a year (Brie has finished her classes and has 2 hours till her brother and sister finish theirs)
There is a time to cheer and there is a time to be quiet and to pray for another person for extra strength from above
And I shared these thoughts with the person who asked me the questions above:
We bring our kids along to funeral services, or when we visit others at hospitals because we hope they:
– see how everyone goes through different experiences in life.
There are those who are old and ill, and there are those who are very young and bed-ridden. There is sadness. There is mourning. There is fragility. There is a time to cheer and there is a time to be quiet and to pray for another person for extra strength from above.
– learn to listen, be quiet (or play quietly at one side), depending on ‘where we are’.
– learn by observing how we adults respect, encourage others, or simply be present for others who are going through difficult times.
– learn how life is not always about ‘me, me and me’
– learn to appreciate life, time and the health that they are blessed with and be responsible with it
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Learn to appreciate life, time and the health that they are blessed with and be responsible with itWill such ‘exposure’ since young turn children into adults with empathy and appreciation towards others?
I honestly don’t know how my children will turn out later.
I guess, as parents we simply do our part, give them the necessary exposure and life experiences, pray for them and let them learn and grow up. The rest is, up to God’s grace.
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In funeral services, I’d most likely be sitting / standing near the exit door, so I could quickly leave the room if the baby/toddler made ‘noises’Having said all the above, I guess the next question is, ‘How young do we take them to funeral services or hospitals?’
For our case, because we take care of the kids ourselves since they were born (no nanny, no live-in domestic helpers), the answer is, since they’re babies. It’s more tricky (less convenient), naturally, compared to bringing a 6yo along.
Extra points to share:
– When the kids were babies / toddlers, they’re either carried with a sling, or on their pram.
– In funeral services, I’d most likely be sitting / standing near the exit door, so I could quickly leave the room if the baby/toddler made ‘noises’
Yes, it’s less convenient, and often more troublesome, because babies’ and toddlers’ moods are more unpredictable. But, if we don’t start early, when will they ever learn?The same with hospital visits. We sometimes had to cut short our stay inside the room, our visit, if the child was fussy or cranky that day.
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Yes, it’s less convenient, and often more troublesome, because babies’ and toddlers’ moods are more unpredictable. It’s best to just leave the kids at home, some said.
Yes, it takes a long time to train them, too. But, if we don’t start early, when will they ever learn?
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Learn to listen, be quiet (or play quietly at one side), depending on ‘where we are’PS: Yes, we take into account ‘what and who’ we are visiting. Eg. They would come along to visit someone who is down with cancer, but not someone who is down with an infectious disease.
We also teach them how they should use the hand sanitiser at the hospital, and not put their hands into their mouth, etc.
(Picture: Brie was listening to the patient’s relative who shared what the patient went through and how he’s doing right now)
