My grandfather died recently and we attended his funeral. It was the first time for my children to see a dead person. I was curious to know how they will react upon seeing him in the coffin.
My youngest daughter took a look at my grandfather and did not bother looking again. My eldest daughter after seeing my dead grandfather asked, "What is he doing? " I told her that her great grandfather died and is already with God. I also explained to her that we were there because it will be the last time we will be able to see him physically and we are going to say goodbye to him.
When the coffin was being put inside the tomb, many people were seen shedding tears and some were even bawling. My 6 year old daughter was also moved to tears and she kept on crying until we got back to our hotel. She cried because she was saddened to see people who were also sad.
In all, it was a smooth experience for my children unlike what I had to go through when I was a child.
I was around 7 or 8 years old when I first experienced going to a wake. My aunt brought me with her when she went to pay her last respects to a friend. On our way there, she was scaring me with ghost stories and she told me that I will be visited by the spirit of the dead because it's my first time to see one. I tried to look brave but it took all my guts just to take a peek at her friend inside the coffin. I had a hard time sleeping that night. I kept hearing creepy sounds and I was afraid that something will appear beside my bed.
Now that I am a mom, I have realized the folly of my aunt. I would never want any child to go through what I had experienced.
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