My daughter thinks her doll is dead and wants to have a funeral for it like a real person.?

Question

My daughter is 9 years old and one day she was playing with her doll and the eye popped out and now she thinks it is dead and wan`ts to have a funeral for it like is a real person.The problem is I don`t know how.Do you have any tips?

Answer 1

Put it in a box and in the box put some colorful fabric and make a little pillow and go outside and put it in a hole and have everyone kinda dress up and say some words over the doll like the good time your daughter had with the doll and put it in the ground and put flowers on the grave  

Answer 2

burn it

Answer 3

Stick its eye back in or put an eye patch on it and say it's a pirate not dead.At 9 ,your daughter knows it is not a real living thing.

Who knows though, maybe she will grow up to be a mortician?

Answer 4

tell her the truth, that the doll isnt real, just her friend.  dont let her go on believing that the doll is real.

my sister was 10 when my dad died, she was let to believe things like that he has a ghost that comes visit her, and she is a llowed to send him balloons every special day. now shes 12 and everyones tired of this save her mother (my stepmom) everyone is totally sick of this including myself.

Answer 5

Ask her what she wants for doll's funeral.

suggestions; decorated box, let her chose prayers, music, bury doll in the yard.

Why does she think doll is dead?  Has someone she knows died?  I'd ask some questions, but would comply with her wishes.

When  I was little a doll broke and I freaked when they fixed it and expected me to play with it. From that experience comes my suggestion.

Answer 6

I can top that ...my 4 yr old found my hair extentions in a shoe box and keeps it ..because her imaginary friend "lisa" has died ..this is all she has left of her..my hair

Answer 7

put it in a box with some of it's things and bury it in the backyard, or just sew the eye back on and tell her that she had surgery and is alright.  

Answer 8

This is actually a great sign that she understand the way life works in a childlike manner.  And that she's growing up.

Don't make it a big thing and invite all her friends or anything, unless well...that's the way your family works.

Bur you can just bury the doll in the back yard.  Give the daughter the supplies to decorate a box the size of the doll.  Things that helps her remember "good times" with the doll.  Show her the seriousness of the funeral and try not to laugh, I know it's difficult sometimes.  And then bury it in the backyard.  Once she goes off with friends to play do what you need to do to make sure the yard isn't damaged or that the buried doll will not attract.  Bugs or whatever.  (By that I mean dig it up and donate the "dead doll" to charity)

Answer 9

Find a box the doll will fit in.  Purchase enough satin material to line the "casket" with, make a small "pillow" out of leftover material place the doll into the box, say a prayer, and put the box with the doll in it on a shelf somewhere (if you have a basement store the doll there).  Explain to her that you are doing a "crypt" style burial (some families have family crypts where the deceased are laid to rest, rather than intered.)

Answer 10

First of all I would ask her if she is sure that she doesn't want to try to get the doll's eye put back in or get a new eye.  You could also try putting glasses on her dolly so that she can pretend that the doll can see again.

But if you choose to go through with the funeral arrangments...I would suggest letting her pick out a pretty box from a local craft store and a pretty dress to burry the dolly in.  Pick out a place in the lawn where it will not get disturbed because of children playing.  As the last person said, have her say nice things about what the dolly meant to her and after she is buried, let her decorate the grave with fake flowers.

Answer 11

Put it in a shoe box with the dolls favorite color tissue paper, then dig a hole for it in the back yard.. or front yard, really anywhere works. Then place the doll in the hole (with the lid on the shoebox) with some of her toys, favorite flowers whatever yout daughter think's necessary.  Then play sad music and dress in black, go out to the hole, place the doll in the hole, and share memmories about the doll. After you are done sharing memmories about the doll fill the hole back in. Rember to act sad.... and I'm sorry for your loss.  

Answer 12

Put the doll in a shoe box or a box it will fit in. Say a little prayer. Have her say something nice about the doll and then you say something nice about it...like how she made your daughter happy for a long time etc... Then dig a hole in the back yard, put the box in, cover it and put some flowers on the grave. I hope this is the only doll she chooses to bury or you might have a doll cemetery in your yard. :)

Answer 13

Having a funeral for the doll is easy as other posters have described - get a shoebox, find some prayers, pick some flowers.

But the issue you might be missing is her dealing with and understanding death. Has anyone in the family died? Some children don't experience the death of a family/friend until they are in their teens or beyond. This may be considered a blessing by some, but it probably sets them back in their ability to grieve, reflect on life, etc.

Does she really understand what death means? By age 9 she should understand that if someone's eye pops out it doesn't necessarily mean they are dead.

Is someone in the family going in for surgery or have a long illness? Maybe she's overheard adults' conversations and is mixing the concepts of injury and death.

Where do you think she learned about funerals? Cartoons? TVs/movies that are beyond her age? Did you ever have a funeral for a pet? Ask her what she thinks should be done at a funeral, and why we have them (religion, celebrate person's life, support from family/friends).

I know these are all questions that don't really answer your question, but this possibly could indicate that she might be curious about death. Try to use this as an opportunity to teach her. Good luck