The funeral update: Taking Special needs kids to a funeral

The funeral update: I dreaded taking both boys to a funeral. Kalen had never been to one, while I think Brad had went to one. Taking SPED kids to a funeral went better than expected. Kalen slept the whole time, while Brad played on his Nabi.

 

The funeral was packed. The directors placed the Williams family in a small room. By the time we got there, the placed was packed. Not all of the greats or my great aunt’s children and grands arrived, but it was packed. 

I created the funeral programs and a special photograph, using Canva for relatives. I was told to print out 25 programs. I went through 2 black cartridges and 2 color cartridges, plus a pack of folded cardstock and we still did not have enough. I have a backlog of relatives, who want funeral programs, once I buy some more ink next month. 

I had to sit on the front row out of necessity because the aisles was too narrow for a stroller. Brad sat behind me. I turned down the volume on his tablet. After the funeral, my niece had told me some relatives complained Brad was playing games and watching videos, but I am sure they do not want to do have to deal with a full-blown meltdown. The kids did a lot better than expected. No crying. No meltdowns. Nothing.

I had Googled Funeral social stories, but couldn’t find too many. I also asked other parents and teachers. Some folks recommended I leave the kids at home, but that was not an option. Brad’s teacher at church recommended bringing the tablets plus a set of headsets. I don’t have the bigger sets; the church uses and Brad don’t like my smaller ones. I just decided to leave the volume low and leave him be. It worked. He was quiet. I did look behind me plenty of times to make sure he was ok.

Kalen did not wake up until we arrived at the cemetery. He walked around and tried to push his stroller.