Free shipping on all orders over $75🎄

Every time I see it on a parenting website, my heart drops: another child lost to drowning. I know the drowning posts are everywhere all summer long, and it can be upsetting as we scroll through our social media feeds. It always sends a shock to my system, and now . . . it’s happened to another celebrity parent.

Just a year after Bode Miller and his wife Morgan lost their 1-year-old daughter to drowning, country music star Granger Smith announced in a heart-wrenching Instagram post yesterday that his 3-year-old son River has suffered the same fate.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

I have to deliver unthinkable news. We’ve lost our youngest son, River Kelly Smith. Following a tragic accident, and despite doctor’s best efforts, he was unable to be revived. Amber and I made the decision to say our last goodbyes and donate his organs so that other children will be given a second chance at life. Our family is devastated and heartbroken, but we take solace in knowing he is with his Heavenly Father. Riv was special. Everyone that met him knew that immediately. The joy he brought to our lives cannot be expressed and his light will be forever in our hearts. If there are words to say more, I cannot find them in this moment. Love the ones close to you. There has never been a more difficult moment for us than this. . . In lieu of flowers or gifts, please send donations to Dell Children’s Medical Center in River’s name. The doctors, nurses and staff have been incredible.

A post shared by Granger Smith (@grangersmith) on

It’s shocking, but sadly, it should NOT be surprising. Despite the efforts of Bode and Morgan Miller and other bereaved parents like them, most of us still don’t know that drowning is the leading cause of death for children under 4 years old, (excepting abnormalities at birth.) Did you get that? More of our babies die from drowning than. from. anything. ELSE.

Related Story: My Son Drowned While I Was Just a Few Feet Away. This is What Every Parent Needs to Know About Drowning.

Parents: we can’t just tuck that fact away in the back of our heads and not think about it because it’s upsetting. We’ve got to get PROACTIVE. None of our children are immune to a tragic water accident. After her daughter almost drowned last year at a pool full of adults sitting nearby, one of my blogger friends, Desirée Fortin, urged parents to have one DESIGNATED “child watcher” when there are kids in the pool. At a pool party with other families? GREAT! Have the adults take shifts to keep their EYES on the kids at all times. One adult sits out from socializing for a while and is on safety duty. Their ONLY job is to watch the pool. Switch shifts often, but make sure someone is ALWAYS on alert, eyes on the pool.

I LOVE this idea and think it’s key, but it’s not enough. Here are some other ways we can be proactive:

1. If you have a pool, have a fence.

The fence should be 4-sided and at least 4 feet tall all the way around. It should have a locked, child-proof gate.

2. If you’re visiting a home with a pool or hot tub, do your own safety survey of gates and locks.

The home you’re visiting may have different water safety standards than you and your home do. If they aren’t as secure as you want them to be, commit to keeping a closer eye on the kids while you’re there.

3. Get your kids swim lessons from a young age.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says, “Children over age one may be at a lower risk of drowning if they have had some formal swimming instruction.” Toddler swimming lessons are a thing for a reason! If you have a pool at your house or frequently visit one where life guards are not on duty, get your kids in consistent, year-round lessons until they are proficient swimmers.

4. Learn CPR. DO IT.

In am emergency, every second counts. Equip yourself with the knowledge and skill to save your child’s life. You may not have time to wait for EMTs in a drowning situation. Straight shooting here: this is a must if you have young kids.

Honestly, we are not here to scare anyone. But if one child is saved because a mama or daddy decided to be extra-cautions after reading this article, then it was one zillion percent worth writing. Your kids are worth it! Buckle down on water safety now and set the tone for the future, and I guarantee you won’t regret it.

Our condolences to Granger Smith and his family on their terrible loss. I pray that sharing River’s story will save other little lives.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Jenny Rapson

Jenny Rapson is a follower of Christ, a wife and mom of three from Ohio and a freelance writer and editor. You can find her at her blog, Mommin' It Up, or follow her on Twitter.

Six Feels So Much Bigger

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Little girl with horse, color photo

Six . . . Six is only one number more than five,  one grade, one year . . . but it feels so different. Five is baby teeth and new beginnings. Five is venturing out into the world, maybe making a friend. Meeting a teacher. Learning to ride a bike. Six took my breath away. Six looks like a loose front tooth—tiny and wiggly, soon to be replaced by a big tooth, one that will stay forever. Six looks like a bright purple bike zooming down the driveway. RELATED: When There Are No More Little Girls’ Clothes Six looks like playing...

Keep Reading

You Were Meant to Be Our Oldest

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Brother holding little sister on back

Dear oldest child, Thanks for taking one for the team. You’ve probably thought by now that Dad and I really have no idea what we are doing. You’re not wrong. Please don’t misunderstand, we have goals and ambitions as parents. We’re trying to raise you to be a healthy, positive, and contributing part of society. But you are—and have always been—our guinea pig. You are the test subject to this whole parenting thing. Each new phase you encounter brings another new phase of learning and growth. Unfortunately, with that comes growing pains, and you often take the brunt of those....

Keep Reading

The Bittersweet Reality of Your Baby Turning 5 Years Old

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Little girl lying on living room floor, color photo

Those first five. Those precious first five years have flown by. I blinked and here we are. I look back and think about all the times I wanted these days to go by faster. The times I couldn’t wait to get to bedtime. The days I wasted being irritable and angry because sometimes being a mom is just too hard. But now? Now, I wish I could have slowed it all down. Savored it a little longer. A little harder. That beautiful wild child who fought like hell from the moment she was born has been burning that fire ever...

Keep Reading

The Petrified-Squished-Spider Stage of Motherhood

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood, Tween
Bug squashed on windshield, color photo

There is a squished spider corpse dangling from the inside of my car windshield. I don’t know how long it has been there. Not because I don’t know when the time of death took place, but because I’ve lost track of the number of days it’s been a fellow passenger of ours. The burial service is past due. And a cleaning of my vehicle is so long overdue, if it were a library book I’d be banned from the library by now. When my husband removed his hat one evening while driving and used it as a spider swatter, he...

Keep Reading

Listen to Their Endless Chatter Now So They’ll Talk to You as Tweens and Teens

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood, Tween
Mother and young daughter talking on the couch

I’m a talker. I’m a spill-the-beans, over-sharing, rambling on about my latest fascination chatterbox. I love words, and so do my kids. I’ve spent over a decade listening to my kids share—often, as they all talk at once. They go on and on about their day, rambling about how their sibling has been driving them nuts, their shenanigans with their friends, and never-ending factoids about video games. So many words, so many significant and yet simple thoughts brought to life in our bustling conversations.  Sometimes I love all the chatter, and sometimes the sheer volume of it drives me to...

Keep Reading

Dear Kindergarten Graduate, My Hand Will Always Be Yours to Hold

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood

Tomorrow you’ll graduate kindergarten. You chose the perfect shirt for the occasion. It’s a blue and white button-up. “Get one with big checkers, Mom, not little ones,” was your request. I know it’ll make your eyes pop from under your too-big red graduation hat. It’s going to be adorable. You’re going to be adorable.  You’ve been counting down the days. You’re ready and, truthfully, I am too—even though I’m so often in denial about how quickly this time with you is passing. Didn’t you just start crawling? How is it possible you’ll already be in first grade next year? RELATED:...

Keep Reading

You Were Made to Be My Oldest

In: Child
Mom and three kids

You are my firstborn. My big. The one who made me a mama. The one who started this whole crazy, beautiful roller coaster ride the day I found out you were on your way. I remember tip-toeing to the bathroom before the sun rose and taking a pregnancy test. The flutter of excitement in my heart turned into a flutter in my growing tummy within just a few short months. And now here you are, seven years old and more incredible than I imagined in all my wildest dreams. You amaze me every single day with your humor, kindness, and...

Keep Reading

I’m a Kindergarten Mom at the Bottom of the Hill

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Boy holding hands with his mother, color photo

The local elementary school is perched atop an obnoxious hill. It is customary for kindergarten parents to walk their children to the top of the hill as the rest of the grades, first through fifth, having earned their badge of capability and courage, walk alone. Car line is off-limits for kindergartners, which means it’s a walk in whatever weather, whenever school is in session type of vibe. My oldest misses car line. I miss it as well. It’s so simple, convenient, and most importantly, warm and waterproof. But my youngest is a kindergartner, so for the last several months we’ve...

Keep Reading

When He’s 10

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Young tween doing homework at desk, side profile

My son is at an age where he couldn’t care less about personal grooming, his un-selfconsciousness both admirable and aggravating to me. “Let’s clip your fingernails,” I say. No. “Clean your ears.” No. “Cut your hair.” No, Mom, come on, I like it long. But a month or so before his birthday, if he was going to remain a boy and not a lion, he needed a haircut. So, we made some kind of deal, probably a bribe, and finally. Fine. “It’ll be long again before you know it,” I told him, as we walked together into the salon, “you know how...

Keep Reading

He’s Slowly Walking Away with Footprints As Big As Mine

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood, Tween
Teen boy walking along beach shore

The true measure of a mother’s love is her willingness to wake up before the sun on vacation. On a recent trip to the shore, my youngest son begged to walk the beach at dawn to look for shells. So, I set my alarm, tumbled out of a warm, king-sized bed with extra squishy pillows, glared at my dead-to-the-world husband, and gently woke my 11-year-old. Without so much as a drop of coffee, we headed out into the morning, the sun still below the ocean horizon. With each step, I shed my zombie-like state and took in the quiet, salt-kissed...

Keep Reading