Country music star Granger Smith‘s wife Amber Smith reminded her Instagram followers to think before they type when she shared screenshots of the shocking and hurtful messages she received that referenced her 3-year-old son River, who died in a drowning accident in June 2019. One of the cruel comments suggested the Smiths “replaced” River with their newborn son Maverick. The Smiths welcomed Maverick on Aug. 20, and are also parents to daughter London, 9, and brother Lincoln, 7.
“I never like to give these people more attention than they deserve, but it’s just a reminder that we live in a dark world where people judge one another [and] say the most hurtful, cruel things,” Amber wrote in an Aug. 24 Instagram Story post, reports Us Weekly. “Please, think before you type or speak your opinion.” Amber also quoted the Bible, writing that it “tells us that the tongue is a fire – James 3:6.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Amber’s post included screenshots of three recent comments she saw after she and Smith announced Maverick’s birth that referenced River’s tragic death. “Is someone watching to make sure this kid is supervised?” one person wrote. Another message came from someone who wrote that they did not know the Smiths and shouldn’t judge them before doing exactly that by suggesting they “replaced” River, adding, “You seem so happy and it seemed like it was so easy for you to have another kid.” In the third message, a critic wrote, “If only guys would have watched him better around the pool, he probably would still be here. Poor River.”
In another Instagram Story slide, Amber asked her followers to “choose the light.” The Monster Wolf star added, “Know who you are in Christ Jesus so when flaming darts come your way you are wearing the armor of God. Not today, Satan.”
The negative comments have not stopped Amber from sharing photos of her family on Instagram. On Friday, she marked Maverick turning one week old by sharing a photo of herself cradling her newborn. “Always thankful when someone takes a photo of me and my babies. I don’t get a lot of photos with them unless they are selfies,” she wrote. “Sounds like I need to step up my photography game at home then?” Smith jokingly replied.
While Maverick’s name includes a reference to River, they wanted to make sure their newborn grows up with his own identity. They chose Maverick since it does have the letters “RIV” in it. However, Amber told her YouTube followers that she “wanted this baby to have his own identity, and I didn’t want him to be so tied to River. But I did want him to have a little piece of his brother in his name.”
