Talking to Your Family About Preplanning

No one ever really talks about how hard it can be to talk about your preplanning with family and loved ones. Loved ones don’t want to think about losing you, much less talk about the details of your funeral. However, it’s absolutely vital to preplan for eventual visits to funeral homes in Moline, IL. But this importance doesn’t make the conversation any less difficult. As hard as it is to talk about preplanning, your family will appreciate it in the long run. 

If you’re ready to start preplanning for your funeral but aren’t quite sure how to breach the subject with your loved ones, use the following tips and trips about talking to your family about preplanning to make the process easier. 

To begin, know what you want. Don’t try and talk to your family about your post-death wishes until you know what they are. Take time before you bring up the subject to research, think about and decide precisely what you want out of your funeral. What kind of service do you want? Do you want a burial or cremation? Viewing or visitation? What’s the budget? Once you know the answer to those questions, you’ll be better able to express your concrete wishes to your family. 

Also, be ready for some emotion. While you’ve taken time to plan and get used to the idea of your own passing, your family and loved one’s most likely have not. The people you love will need some time to process all the emotions associated with your probable, eventual or impending death and loss. They might get angry with you, experience denial about the conversation’s necessity, or be just plain sad at the idea of losing you. If things get too emotional, take a break and continue the conversation once everyone has calmed down a bit. Even though your final wishes are ultimately your decision and all about what you want, your loved ones will still want to have some input. Be ready to listen to their concerns and to answer any questions they might have. If you don’t have the answer right away, take the time you need to come up with one. 

Finally, stay strong in what you want. While it’s important to listen to what your family has to say about your final wishes, it’s still mostly your decision at the end of the day. Don’t be afraid to be firm about what you want and stand up for decisions that are important to you. Once you’ve come to a decision everyone can be happy with, it’s a great idea to have a legal document drawn up with all the details so there are no questions after you’re gone. 

While discussing your death with your loved ones will never be easy, it’s always worth it in the long run. Preplanning will give everyone peace of mind, so get started today with help from Trimble Funeral Home & Crematory. We are a Moline, IL funeral home with the experience and compassion necessary to help you through a time of loss or preplanning. Call or visit us today to learn more.