Must we Mention Shelby Every Other Day?

As per a previous post, we all know I ran over my beloved Shelby last September. It was a horrific event. I'll never forget it. It sucked. I had to call in reinforcements at the emergency vet, a.k.a. my mom and sister. The trauma of that night still hurts. I loved Shelby. Always will.
But here's the thing with kids. Not only do they not forget, they mention it. A lot. Here are a few examples, most of which take place in the car.

"Mommy? Remember dat time you ran over Shelby?" "Yes, Juni. I remember." "I loved my Shelby, mommy." "I know, Juni. But she's in puppy heaven, with Maddie." "I know, Mommy. But Mommy? The next dog we get, after Duchess dies and goes to puppy heaven...I wanna name dat dog Shelby, too." "Umm...yeah...I don't think so, Juni." "But why? I just love my Shelby." "Juni...Juni, let's talk about something else."

"Mommy?" "Yes, Juni." "I can tell you something?" "Yes, Juni." "I never gonna not love my Shelby." "I know, Juni. Me neither." "You runned her over, you know." "Yes, Juni. I realize this."

"Mommy?" "Yes, Juni?" "I love our new puppy Sadie." "I know, Juni. She's cool, isn't she." "Yeah, she is. But you know what? She not catch the Frisbee in the air like our dog Shelby." "I know, Juni. But she's only 18 months old. She's a puppy still. We'll teach her when it's warmer outside." "Okay. But you know you runned Shelby over, right?" "Yes, Juni. I still realize this."

"Mommy?" "Yes, Juni?" "When Nanny and PaPa die, can we put black balloons on their rock (headstone)?" "Yeah, no, Juni. How about white, since they're going to Heaven?" "Yeah, dat's better. Mommy, will Shelby be in their Heaven?" "Yes, Juni. She will." "You runned her over, you know." "Yep. I absolutely realize this."

"Mommy...I found that stuffed animal you have that looks like Shelby that your Mommy gave you when you in college." "You did, huh." "Yep. It hidden." "Huh...I wonder why." "You know what Mommy? Now I can play with Shelby any time I want! It not the same, though, Mommy. I think I'll sleep with Shelby stuffed dog tonight." "That's nice, Juni. Let's go outside and play with Sadie, okay?" "Yeah, let's do that. But Mommy, you know what? You runned over Shelby." "Yep. got it. I killed the dog. I'm a certified dog-killer. You know what Juni? I'm not a fan of these conversations."