If your elderly parent has died and you've had his or her body cremated, you may be planning an outdoor ceremony at which you'll be scattering the cremated remains. If you have young children, it can be difficult enough for them to grasp that their grandparent has died, but you could find yourself in a challenging situation if one of your children expresses concern over scattering the remains. If a child is vocal about not scattering the remains, you may wish to change your approach. However, if your late parent requested that his or her remains were to be scattered in a certain way, you want to honor that request. Here are some options that you can pursue to appease your child.

Set Some Aside

You don't technically need to scatter all of the cremated remains in order to honor your late parent's request. If it might make your child feel better, you could consider reserving a small amount of the remains to keep in your home. This may make your child feel as though his or her grandparent is still around, so to speak. There are many types of small urns that are designed to hold just a tiny amount of remains, and you can likely buy such a product from your local funeral home or crematorium.

Delay The Ceremony

In many cases, someone may express a desire to be cremated and have his or her remains scattered, but not necessarily request that this is done immediately. If your child is having trouble wrapping his or her head around the proceedings, there's absolutely no harm in delaying the ceremony. This may give your child more time to understand and accept what has happened — and perhaps in a few months' time, he or she will feel more ready for your family to scatter the remains.

Ask If The Child Wants To Help

While there is a high degree of finality associated with scattering cremated remains, this process might feel better for your child if he or she can play an active role. For example, your child might feel isolated with the idea of standing in the background while you or another adult scatters the remains. However, if you offer the child a chance to take part — and perhaps do so for several family members — he or she may develop more of a feeling of connection to this event and feel better about it.

For more information about cremation services, contact a local funeral home.