Losing a young child is one of the worst things any parent can experience.
Richard Pringle and his family sadly went through this unimaginable event when his young son, Hughie, passed away last summer following a brain hemorrhage.
According to The Mirror, 3-year-old Hughie had a brain condition but was doing well at the time of his death. "There was only a 5% chance of a bleed, but unfortunately that 5% chance happened last year and he didn't survive," Richard explained.
Richard, a dad of three, now knows all too well just how precious time with your kids can be. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of his son's death, the grieving father wrote down a list of the 10 most important lessons the unthinkable tragedy of his son's loss has taught him.
Richard shared his emotional words in a public Facebook post, hoping to give other parents some perspective.
Since the time it was posted on August 23, 2017, Richard's 10 lessons have been shared over 10,000 times.
Scroll through to read Richard's incredibly moving words.
Thumbnail Photo: Facebook / Richard Pringle
In his now-viral post, Richard writes:
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 a 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.
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