AS3, removing node from XML by reference

I am working with XML in ActionScript and trying to find a way to remove a node by providing the node reference.

Sample:

var node:XML = 
<node>
 <child a="1" b="2" c="3" />
 <child a="2" b="2" c="3" />
 <child a="3" b="4" c="3" />
 <child a="4" b="2" c="6" />
</node>;

var targetChild:Xml = node.child.@(a==1)[0];

Currently, I am using the following to accomplish the removal of the node. Also I prefer not to iterate through the tree again or filter the nodes to find the targetChild i have a开发者_如何转开发lready referenced.

delete (targetChild.parent().children()[targetChild.childIndex()]);

Somehow I just do not feel like it is a very clean way of doing it, but it works. I am wondering if there is another way to delete the node by reference?

two ways two delete by reference:

package  {
    /**
     * ...
     * @author www0z0k
     */
    import flash.text.TextField;
    import flash.display.Sprite;
    import flash.text.TextFieldAutoSize;
    public class FlashTest extends Sprite {
        private var tf:TextField;
        public function FlashTest() {
            tf = new TextField();
            addChild(tf);
            tf.multiline = true;
            tf.autoSize = TextFieldAutoSize.LEFT;

            var node:XML = new XML('<node><child a="1" b="2" c="3"/><child a="2" b="2" c="3"/><child a="3" b="4" c="3"/><child a="4" b="2" c="6"/></node>');            
            tf.appendText('before:\n' + node);
            var xml1:XML = node.descendants('child').(@a == '3')[0];
            var xml3:XML = node.descendants('child').(@a == '1')[0];
            killXMLFromList(xml1, node.descendants(xml1.name()));
            delete node.descendants(xml3.name()).(@a == xml3.attribute('a'))[0];
            tf.appendText('\nafter:\n' + node);        
        }

        private function killXMLFromList(xml:XML, list:XMLList):void{           
            for (var i:int = 0; i < list.length(); i++ ) {
                if (list[i] == xml) {
                    delete list[i];
                }
            }
        }


    }
}