Family Holds Backyard Funeral for 3-Year-Old Daughter's Pacifier: 'Letting Kids Feel Emotions' (Exclusive)

When Jake Bishop and his wife Courtney realized their daughter Hazel was ready to bid farewell to her pacifier, they wanted to make the occasion memorable.

Hazel, their lively 3-year-old, had been showing signs for a while that she was prepared to part with her pacifier. With her third birthday approaching, they felt it was the ideal moment for her to make the transition.

After researching online, Jake, an artist from St. Louis, Missouri, came across videos of people burying pacifiers in the ground as a symbolic farewell. Inspired by the idea, he decided to organize a funeral for Hazel's pacifier on May 18, the day before her birthday.

Before the ceremony, Jake, 34, rushed downstairs to grab his notepad and pen.

"I grabbed a suit jacket, tied on a tie — haphazardly — and snagged the crocs by the door. That was it," Jake tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"It was a spontaneous five-minute thing, a let's-see-what-happens and have-fun-with-it moment," he adds. "But it was truly led by Hazel. We wanted to give her the chance to do this herself and take that next step, with plenty of support at home."

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During the ceremony, Jake delivered his eulogy and mimicked some of Hazel's pacifier noises.

"Hello, everyone. We are gathered here to remember Pass 'The Pacifier' Bishop, one of the greatest pacis to have ever graced the lips of a toddler," Jake said in part during his speech.

"From our mouths to our hearts, paci brought a sense of peace and calm to our Hazel Jean."

Afterwards, the family buried the pacifier in the backyard, closing the impromptu event with a salute and bagpipe music.

"I did this," Hazel proudly saluted.

"Our restless little girl is always on the move," Jake says. "Her sitting through the pacifier funeral for as long as she did was impressive."

The next morning, Hazel woke to find a surprise basket atop the burial site, doubling as her birthday celebration. Inside were lollipops, bath time surprises, glow sticks, Reese's cupcakes and even a rose.

"I also got a new bike!" Hazel tells PEOPLE excitedly.

"She's been doing amazingly well since then," Jake continues. "She hasn't mentioned the pacifier, hasn't had any meltdowns. She's really embraced this transition to big girlhood. It's been incredible."

In June, Jake shared a TikTok video of the pacifier funeral, which has gone viral with over 2 million views and 6,000 comments.

Jake admits he never expected it to become so big. "Every time I open the app and see all the notifications, I'm still shocked," he says. "My hand started cramping from keeping up with all the positive and loving comments. It feels really good ... we're letting kids feel emotions, be themselves."

"Even tough times like this don't have to be hard," he adds. "They don't have to be painful memories. We can do them in any way we choose, and let these kids lead the way."