UK father shares 10 heart-melting truths he learned after the loss of his son

A parent’s worst fear came true for one U.K. father when he lost his son in mid-summer, two years ago. Yet, for every loss there are graces, bittersweet promises of redemption, and sometimes that’s the best we can hope for.

In this father’s case, that redemption came as life lessons that his son’s passing taught him—which he later compiled and shared with the world via social media.

Dad Richard Pringle, from Hastings, in East Sussex, remembers his “beautiful little boy” as someone who made life fun, made everything fun—even boring things.

When their son, Hughie, was 3, the family learned that he had a brain condition. Yet they remained optimistic, as he was doing well, and they were told that there was only a very slim chance of a hemorrhage.

“There was only a 5 percent chance of a bleed but unfortunately that 5 percent chance happened last year and he didn’t survive,” Pringle told The Mirror in 2017.

“He was soft, gentle, caring and so lovable,” the dad added. “In three short years he left us with a lifetime of the most incredible memories.”

One year passed after his son’s death, and Pringle had time to reflect on what things came out from that empty space in his life where his son had been. He eventually decided to compile his thoughts and feelings into important lessons he learned after losing Hughie and share them with the world.

In the end, he came up with 10. And now we will share them with you.

The 10 most important things I’ve learned since losing my son

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.

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