A parenting influencer is speaking out after experiencing one of the worst days of her life.
Kelly Hopton-Jones, who shares parenting advice on her Hillside Farmhouse blog, took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal that her 23-month-old son, Henry, has been hospitalized after she accidentally ran him over with her car.
Over pictures of her holding his hand, the content creator explained the day “started like any normal day” for her family. She was taking her daughter Lily “to get donuts before her dance performance,” while her husband “Brian was staying home with Henry” before later meeting up with them. According to Kelly, Brian “helped Lily into the car and was waving goodbye between our car and Henry, who was in the garage” until he ran out. Then, “in a matter of seconds, our son was run over by our car,” which the mom was driving at the time.
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Everyone immediately sprang into action, including the neighbors. They “stepped in” to take care of Lily, while Kelly and Brian “rushed to the emergency room.” While there, Henry underwent X-rays on his legs, chest, and neck, all of which are “normal.” The toddler also had a CT scan and showed no signs of “injury to his organs or spinal cord.” His neurological exam is good so far, too, with no signs of head injury or impairment. Thank goodness!
Unfortunately, Henry did sustain fractures to his pelvis, which “will take time to heal,” and a few abrasions. But as the doctor put it, per Kelly:
“He is hurt, but this is something he can recover from.”
What matters most is that he is alive and will heal. And that is a “true miracle,” in Kelly’s words. The nurse practitioner continued:
“We are in shock. We are so sad. But we are so incredibly grateful. We keep replaying it, trying to understand how this could have happened when we were right there. I don’t have that answer. But I do know that this has changed us.”
Kelly stressed that moving forward, they are taking extra caution with their two kiddos:
“Non negotiable to hold or hold hands with young children around vehicles. Do not assume they know or will stay where you last saw them. Even when you are not distracted. Even when you are not rushing. It can still happen in the blink of an eye. We are holding him a little tighter tonight.”
How scary! We are so glad Henry is going to be OK!
Understandably, any parent would feel a lot of guilt over the situation. But Kelly wanted to remind not only herself but other parents to be kind to themselves because “accidents happen”:
“I can’t even let my brain fully go to how different this situation could be right now. It’s so easy to start questioning everything. If the morning had looked different. If B had gone to work like he normally would have, both kids would have been safely in their car seats. Why weren’t we holding him. Why didn’t I double check before pulling out. We could drive ourselves crazy with the what ifs, and honestly, we are a little bit. But accidents happen. And I keep coming back to what I would tell my own kids one day if this happened to them. It would be a lot kinder than the things we’re telling ourselves right now. Accidents happen, and the only mistakes are the ones we don’t learn from. We’re on the lucky side of a very tragic accident.”
Well said. Accidents really do happen, and we hope Kelly doesn’t beat herself up over this too much. See her vulnerable post (below):
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We’re wishing Henry a speedy recovery and sending love to the rest of the family!
[Image via Kelly Hopton-Jones/Instagram]
