'Home Town' Fans Show Their Support to Ben and Erin Napier After Daughter's Accident

Home Town star Erin Napier saw the good side of social media when she told fans on Jan. 21 that [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Home Town star Erin Napier saw the good side of social media when she told fans on Jan. 21 that her daughter Helene suffered broken bones after falling at a park. The post earned over 20,000 comments from Napier's Instagram followers, many of whom wished Helene a speedy recovery. This was a very different experience for Napier on Instagram, coming just a few weeks after she deleted a photo of Helene that attracted negative comments.

Napier shared one photo of her husband, Ben Napier, sleeping beside Helene's crib and another picture showing Helene's leg in a cast. "A fun day at the park turned into a fully broken tibia and fibula when she stepped wrong at the end of a slide," Napier wrote. "So thankful to have [Ben] beside me (and sharing nights on the floor by her crib) when parenting during a pandemic gets even more nerve-racking." The post attracted comments from Napier's fans, as well as her celebrity followers. "Oh, Helene! I'm so sorry sweet girl! Please feel better soon," singer Morgan Stapleton wrote. "Oh no!! Poor thing!" Fixer to Fabulous star Jenny Mars wrote.

The response to the scary post about Helene was very different than what Napier experienced in December. She shared a photo of Helene that was flooded with "cruel" comments about her hair and criticisms of how the family behaved during the coronavirus pandemic. Napier took the photo down, then published a long statement reminding her followers they are only seeing a small part of her life. Negative comments and the people who make them are "not welcome here. Full stop," Napier wrote at the time. "If you feel you may be a person capable of communicating this way, please see yourself away from my account, or I'll be glad to help you do that," she added.

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A post shared by Erin Napier (@erinapier)

In an interview with Us Weekly earlier this month, Napier, 35, further explained her shock and disappointment with people who feel they can write things they "would never say in person" on social media. "I've never behaved that way on social media. I just expect everyone to have the same level of polite conversation," she said.

Napier said she will block anyone who leaves negative comments on her posts. "Any time someone feels like they can be rude on my social media account, I'd like to let them know this isn't an acceptable way to communicate and you're not going to be welcome here anymore, and I block them," she said. Thankfully, most of the responses to Helene's accident were well-wishes.

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"Having been through this.. she'll be up and around in a minute healing quickly and you both just aged 10 yrs! Here's to all healing quickly," one fan wrote. "Bless her heart!! She's got the best PTs to help her through it though," another chimed in.

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(Photo: HGTV)

"Oh no! Heal quickly sweet little one!!" one fan wrote. "Oh no!! Praying for a speedy recovery," another wrote, adding a crying emoji.

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"Oh no! Praying for Helen's comfort and your sanity," one fan wrote. "Children are so much better at these things than we are!" Another fan simply wrote, "Poor Helene!" and added a heart emoji.

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Ben Napier Erin Napier
(Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

"Oh no.... poor baby! Wishing for a speedy recovery sweet girl," one fan wrote, adding praying hands and heart emojis. "Kids are resilient...she will heal and be good as new!!!" another wrote.

"Praying that all the quiet blessings that come with hard stuff will continue to be your story. Love the way Ben models God's love...right there with you in the midst," another chimed in.

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"Oh, Erin I am so sorry to hear that about sweet Helene. I am saying big prayers for her and for both of y'all right now," one fan wrote. "I'm so sorry! In my experience, these things are more traumatic on the parents than it is on the child. They're so resilient. Sending you big hugs," another typed, adding a heart emoji.

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