Home to Die
Tomorrow, we begin hosting my father-in-law for his final days. We'll be having hospice folks entering our home to assist with his transition to the next part of his journey (or the end, depending on your beliefs).
Some people seem to think it's a difficult thing for our kids (ages 4 & 9) to go through. I tend to believe seeing him go through the death process, is good for them. My son was 5 when we did this with my mother-in-law. He wanted to come home from school if she died while he was at school. She did and so we brought him home. He wanted to see her in her bed and even watched when the funeral home came to put her body into the bag. That seems like too much for a 5 year old to handle to some. We have switched bedrooms in recent years and he now sleeps in nearly the exact spot he saw his dead 'Nana'. I will say, he has never mentioned any fears or shown any signs of trauma about it.
We (as people) need total care at the beginning and end of our lives. In the middle we're the care GIVER. My father-in-law is giving us the chance to teach our kids that lesson.
Some people seem to think it's a difficult thing for our kids (ages 4 & 9) to go through. I tend to believe seeing him go through the death process, is good for them. My son was 5 when we did this with my mother-in-law. He wanted to come home from school if she died while he was at school. She did and so we brought him home. He wanted to see her in her bed and even watched when the funeral home came to put her body into the bag. That seems like too much for a 5 year old to handle to some. We have switched bedrooms in recent years and he now sleeps in nearly the exact spot he saw his dead 'Nana'. I will say, he has never mentioned any fears or shown any signs of trauma about it.
We (as people) need total care at the beginning and end of our lives. In the middle we're the care GIVER. My father-in-law is giving us the chance to teach our kids that lesson.
posted by flyingoyster at 10:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home