Where'd Cleo Go?

Unfortunately earlier this summer my family's cat Cleo saw the end of her days. She was extremely old (20+ years old) and had numerous health problems (including recurrent strokes). It was finally just time to put her out of her misery. Cleo was a wonderful cat and I'm sure many of you had the pleasure of meeting her at some time or another. I have lots of great memories of Cleo but one thing I will always love her for is her ability to know when someone needed her. Whether you were sick or feeling sad, she could sense it and she would come and just be with you. Cleo rarely slept with us in our beds but on those few occasions when we were sick or upset about something, she would lay right by our side until we felt better. It's amazing how you can think a cat is so aloof and has no clue about what is going on around her, but yet my experience with Cleo showed that she was very in tune with what we needed and liked to comfort others. What a wonderful kitty cat.

So that leads me to my next story... trying to figure out what to tell Makenna about Cleo. Honestly, I was just hoping she wouldn't notice. Horrible, I know, but I really wasn't looking forward to explaining death to a 3 year old. I kept putting it off and finally the inevitable came - we visited my parent's house and she went down in the basement (where Cleo typically was) and asked where Cleo was. My mom came running upstairs to give me my two minute notice that she was sending Makenna upstairs to talk to me about Cleo. Talk about pressure - I was seriously trying to rack my brain about everything I've read on what is age appropriate to tell a 3 year old about death.

Here comes my innocent little daughter with a concerned look on her face asking "Mommy where'd Cleo go?" I kneel down next to her and tell her that Cleo went to live with Jesus in heaven. I told her that Cleo hadn't been feeling very good lately and that when she's in heaven with Jesus she feels better. Makenna seemed very happy with this response and just said "Oh okay. Cleo is visiting Jesus."

I thought it was no longer on her mind but then a few nights later in the bathtub out of the blue Makenna asks "Mommy, is Cleo coming home from Jesus' house soon?" So I had to try and explain to her that Cleo was staying at Jesus' house because then she would feel better... if she had to stay here she wouldn't feel good anymore. Once again, she seemed satisfied with that answer and hasn't brought it up for weeks.

Okay so I feel like I've completed one difficult parent conversation... only a million more to go, right? What's next??? "Mommy where do babies come from?" I'm just waiting for that one. She's such a curious, bright child, it's bound to come up sooner or later. I'm so sending her to Josh for that one!! :) Who will in turn remind me that I was the one that used to be a health educator and then deflect the conversation back to me! Right, Josh???