Granger Smith Says He Feels Like A ‘Failure’ As A Father After His Son River’s Drowning Death

For country singer Granger Smith and his wife Amber, 2019 was one of the hardest years of their lives. In June, they lost their 3-year-old son River when he drowned in a tragic accident. Now Granger is looking back at the heartbreaking incident, telling fans he’s still learning to cope. He also revealed that — at times — he’s felt like a “failure” as a father, according to Fox News.

Earlier this week, Granger and Amber celebrated their 10 year anniversary. He posted a beautiful photo on Instagram of the pair kissing in front of their home in Georgetown, Texas, the sun illuminating them. He included a lengthy caption in which he reflected upon the highs and lows of the last 10 years, complete with beautiful moments and unbearably painful ones. He described what he saw when he looked at the two people in the photo.

“What I see: 2 people in a storm. Hanging on to God for truth and guidance like a lone fence post in a ravaging wind. I see a girl hurting. Drawing on unimaginable strength just to continue on with necessary motherly duties. Clinging to the Bible like it’s a life raft hurdling through an unknown sea. I see a man, savagely battling a relentless demon. Shielded only by Faith and masking the crippling weakness brought on by his deep shame; his failure as a father.”

Granger emphasized that their love is stronger than ever — even after all he and Amber have been gone through — and he only expects it to get stronger as they move forward in life and grow older.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, River’s death occurred during what had started out as a perfect day. The whole family was outside playing and enjoying the summer weather. Granger was practicing cartwheels with his older children. It was only seconds that River slipped away and managed to get into the family pool without a life jacket on. He was rushed to the hospital but unfortunately passed away a few days later.

Since that tragic day, both Granger and Amber have worked hard as advocates for pool safety, in the hopes of ensuring other parents never have to go through the pain they experienced. They also moved out of their family home in order to escape the bad memories there.

“There was thousands of good memories, and one really bad one,” Granger recalled of their decision to begin anew in a different home.