This morning I woke up to this precious three year old, red head boy flooding my instagram feed #redballoonsforryan. After reading his story, my mama heart broke for his family. Last week his short life was lost after being hit by a car when playing out in the front yard.
Something about this story has hit me hard. As I scrolled through his mom’s blog, reading about making muffins, painting with a toddler and their travels and life experiences, I felt her pain as if it was my own.
When you have a child, the reality suddenly hits that you can no longer go to the store (or bathroom) alone, movies are out of the question, there will never be enough time in the day to get everything needed done and everything you do in life, you now do for that child. Sometimes it’s a hard reality to take but I would never trade it for the world. My heart hurts for that mama who will wake up tomorrow without a little boy to do all those things we take for granted. Hugs, baths, bedtimes, time outs.
I try to give Rylie every experience I can, and document every moment of my precious time with her, because I know that life is too short and you never know where it will take you. I try not to dwell on the negative, I just enjoy our time spent together. In my head I battle every rude comment that comes about over sharing my life and pictures, spending too much time with my family, bringing her to places she’ll never remember and spoiling her. I do my best to keep her grounded while still giving her the opportunity to live life to it’s fullest.
To the people on airplanes who roll their eyes and tell me I expect too much of a two year old to bring her on a 5 hour flight… I don’t care. Wherever that plane takes us, we’ll be making memories.
To the person at Disney World who complains that my two year old walks too slow. Slow down and enjoy life.
To the people who say I’m crazy for bringing her to Disney World at the age of 2. Maybe it’s selfish, but the joy she experiences and the smile on her face make my heart really happy.
Hold your babies tight today in memory of Ryan and keep this special family in your thoughts as they deal with their sadness. Always remember that it’s never too early to start exposing your child to everything life has to offer. Ignore what people say, in the end it doesn’t matter. It looks like Ryan’s short life was filled with adventure and happiness. I hope his family can find comfort in that.
If you’d like to donate to this family, visit thrivemoms.com/blog
