Matt and Melissa Graves tragically lost their 2-year-old son when he was attacked by an alligator while playing on a Disney Resort beach.
@cnn matthew and melissa graves #ripLANE pic.twitter.com/rgOBgb3Bea
— Fight Scammers (@FightScammers) June 15, 2016
While spending some time at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, the Graves not only witnessed their son being dragged into the lagoon by an alligator, but physically fought the reptile for their childs life.
Some people have been quick to criticize their parenting.
Police should be investigating Nebraska parents for negligence and neglect. Their irresponsible parenting caused death of their son.
— Lou Thomas (@Rivco12survivor) June 16, 2016
Police should be investigating Nebraska parents for negligence and neglect. Their irresponsible parenting caused death of their son.
— Lou Thomas (@Rivco12survivor) June 16, 2016
But then, a very beautiful thing happened.
Parents started rallying behind the Graves family. By posting pictures of their own children playing at that very spot, they show just how easily it could have happened to anyone.
Writer Kristen Howerton shared the above photo of her young children (and many others) playing on the beach. She wrote on her Facebook page:
Its easy to throw other parents under the bus when something terrible happens because we want to believe ourselves better. We want to comfort ourselves with the idea that our superior parenting could prevent a tragedy; that bad things could only befall an incompetent parent. But the truth is, bad things happen to good parents, and they deserve our empathy, not our judgement.
Florida resident Jeannette Kaplun posted this photo of her children.
My heart breaks for the Graves family. It could have happened to any of us.
Janice Croze, who visited the beach as part of a Disney-hosted event in 2012, shared a photo of her daughter, Olivia, wading in the lagoon.
If anyone wants to judge those parents for letting their toddler play near the water at Disney World, here is Olivia playing on that beach. There were tons of children and adults wading at the waters edge. Never did any of us think there was any danger at all! This is a bizarre, horrific accident, Croze shared on Facebook.
Melissa Mitchell did the same on on her blog, Sippy Cup Mom, writing, It could have been me, because Im not a perfect parent.
We stayed at The Grand Floridian Resortand [my son] played on that very beach, Mitchell wrote. Yes, there are no swimming signs and he didnt go into the water. He COULD have hes a toddler and we all know how fast toddlers are. But he was right at the waters edge like Im sure hundreds if not thousands of people do at Walt Disney World each year.
