You already know how important it is to preplan your service at a Penn Township, PA funeral home. One crucial step of that preplanning is having a discussion with your loved ones about your plans. This conversation is never easy.

Your loved ones don’t want to talk about your eventual death, much less the details of your funeral. As difficult as it may be, it’s important to talk to your loved ones about your funeral service preplanning. You can use these tips to make this conversation a bit easier. After all, as hard as it is to think about now, your family will appreciate your preplanning in the long run.

Start by knowing 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 high emotions. 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, you need to stay strong. 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.

Before you can have a conversation about preplanning, you need to start to make decisions for your funeral. Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. is a funeral home in Penn Township, PA that can assist with any and all of your service needs. Call or visit us today to learn more about what we can do for you.