Emilie Kiser messed up, and she knows it.
The TikTok star devastatingly lost her eldest son Trigg at just 3 years old after he drowned in their backyard pool in May 2025 while her husband Brady wasn’t paying attention. A parent’s worst nightmare. It has been a heartbreaking loss for the family. As she’s continued to process the tremendous tragedy, Emilie has also urged the importance of pool safety to her millions of online followers after recognizing the ways she could’ve done more to protect her child around the water.
Related: Emilie Reveals How Her Family Feels About Husband After Son Died On His Watch!
And that’s why fans were so stunned to see she and Brady ignore basic safety protocol while on a recent summer vacation! Emilie joined her influencer pal Madi Curtis for a trip to Mallorca in June with both their families. In footage Madi posted (which has since been deleted), Emilie’s 1-year-old son, Teddy, was on a boat out at sea sitting with his father — without a life jacket on! And several other young kids were also seen without life jackets in the montage video.
See (below) in the clip where a young child drives the boat. The father and son can be seen sitting just behind them:
TikTok users were upset to see the young boy so close to water without proper precautions — and Emilie is now speaking out after the backlash. She took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday with a statement:
“Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it. We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better.”
While hurt by the “deep level of anger” leveled at her family due to the video, Emilie also had a lot of understanding for how fans felt, she reflected:
“We recognize and appreciate the genuine care that people have for our children. There has also been a deep level of anger and hurt directed toward our family, and we understand the basis of those feelings as well. It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here, and we share that same belief more than can be expressed. He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more. That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.”
We cannot imagine how difficult it has been to navigate this loss in the public eye. No parent is perfect, and after the loss they’ve suffered — which they have felt the pain of more than anyone — we’re sure all they want to do is keep their children safe. With that said, she concluded:
“We will continue to do better, advocate for better and, as hard as we try to avoid them, still make mistakes. We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have.”
That’s all anyone can do. Read the full statement (below):
We’re glad they now understand the importance of safety gear around water at all times. As they’ve experienced, you truly never know what could happen. It is always better to be prepared.
Thoughts? Let us know (below).
[Image via Emilie Kiser/Instagram]