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When I was about 4, our cat Smokey became ill and it became apparent that he couldn't go on. My parents told me he was sick and us kids were careful with him and had some time to tell him we loved him and wanted him to get well. When it came time to put him down, Dad took him to the vet without great fanfare. Then Dad brought him back home and we gathered around him in the living room. Smokey was wrapped up in a towel and we all pet him and cried because we understood then that he was gone and couldn't come back. Then Dad and my brother wrapped him up and put him in a box, took him to the back yard and buried him under the peach tree - in a snow storm, no less. My sister and I watched from the window.
I can still see every image clearly in my mind's eye, but I wasn't overwhelmed with it. We were upset, but my parents paced it and kept moving with what had to be done. Our whole family misses that cat 'til yet, but it may be where I learned that the death of a pet is survivable. I happened to go back to Va Bch 15 years later and was happy to see the peach tree intact and know Smokey is still resting there.
I wish you the best with your kids, RL. Lots of love and a good plan will help them get thru this.
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