A little more than a year ago, Richard Pringle said goodbye to his 3-year-old son, who died suddenly on Aug. 18, 2016, following a brain hemorrhage.
Pringle told Mirror Online his 3-year old had a brain condition but was not experiencing any complications from it. The father from Hastings, East Sussex, also noted there was only a 5 percent chance of a brain bleed. Unfortunately, his son fell into the 5 percent and did not survive.
A picture of the 3-year-old and his family reveal the memory of a happy little boy and his father. Pringle described his son as “soft, gentle, caring, and so lovable.” He revealed his son could make even the dullest of things fun and exciting. He claimed his son made everything more fun. While his son was only alive for three years, they created a lifetime of treasured memories together.
A year later, Richard reflected on the death of his 3-year-old son.
Reflecting on the anniversary since Richard said goodbye to Hughie, he took to social media to share what the death of his son taught him. His hope was his words would encourage other parents never to take the time or precious memories with their children for granted.
Below are the 10 lessons Richard learned after losing his son – in his words. You may need a box of tissues in hand before reading them.
“1. You can never ever kiss and love too much.
“2. You always have time. Stop what you’re doing and play, even if it’s just for minute. Nothing’s that important that it can’t wait.
“3. Take as many photos and record as many videos as humanly possible. One day that might be all you have.
“4. Don’t spend money; spend time. You think what you spend matters? It doesn’t. What you do matters. Jump in puddles; go for walks. Swim in the sea, build a camp, and have fun. That’s all they want. I can’t remember what we bought Hughie; I can only remember what we did.
“5. Sing. Sing songs together. My happiest memories are of Hughie sitting on my shoulders or sitting next to me in the car singing our favourite songs. Memories are created in music.
“6. Cherish the simplest of things. Night times, bedtimes, reading stories. Dinners together. Lazy Sundays. Cherish the simplest of times. They are what I miss the most. Don’t let those special times pass you by unnoticed.
“7. Always kiss those you love goodbye and if you forget. Go back and kiss them. You never know if it’s the last time you’ll get the chance.
“8. Make boring things fun. Shopping trips, car journeys, walking to the shops. Be silly, tell jokes, laugh, smile, and enjoy yourselves. They’re only chores if you treat them like that. Life is too short not to have fun.
“9. Keep a journal. Write down everything your little ones do that lights up your world. The funny things they say, the cute things they do. We only started doing this after we lost Hughie. We wanted to remember everything. Now we do it for Hettie, and we will for Hennie too. You’ll have these memories written down forever and when you’re older, you can look back and cherish every moment.
“10. If you have your children with you. To kiss goodnight. To have breakfast with. To walk to school. To take to university. To watch get married. You are blessed. Never ever forget that.”
His gut-wrenching post on Facebook went viral.
On Aug. 23, Pringle took to Facebook to share these gut-wrenching words with the world. Since that time, nearly 12,000 people have shared his post and nearly 20,000 people have reacted to it. The comments on the Facebook post contain nothing but love and support for the father. Some of the individuals leaving comments share the pain of losing a child. Some even encouraged the father to consider writing a book about the experience of losing his son.
Most thanked Richard Pringle for using the death of his son as an opportunity to remind parents everywhere to cherish every moment they have with their children.
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(h/t) Mirror
