Heartbreaking moment two-year-old boy sings 'bye bye Daddy' at his father's memorial stone and 'shows' him his favourite toy cars
- Darren Langton, 33, died suddenly from unknown causes at home in Dorchester
- He passed away three days after his son Harvey's first birthday in October 2017
- Harvey and his mother Jessica Pillinger visit Darren's headstone every Sunday
A mother has shared heartbreaking footage of her two-year-old son singing goodbye at his father's headstone.
Darren Langton, 33, died suddenly from unknown causes at his home in Dorchester, Dorset, just three days after his son Harvey's first birthday in October 2017.
Harvey's mother Jessica Pillinger has tried to keep Darren's memory alive by visiting his memorial stone every Sunday to lay flowers with the little one.
But not understanding what the grave means, Harvey prefers to show his father his favourite toy cars, while Jessica tends to the memorial.
Harvey-Lee Darren Langton (pictured), two, takes his favourite cars and sings goodbye at his father's headstone
Emotional footage shows the youngster lying on the inscribed stone while playing with his vehicles and singing 'bye bye Daddy' repeatedly.
Sharing the video ahead of Father's Day, Jessica hopes it illustrates Harvey's special connection with his dad, despite them only sharing a year together.
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Jessica, who now lives in Bournemouth, Dorset, said: 'As much as I want to say it's a nice feeling seeing him [playing] like that, it's actually more heartbreaking because I think of the relationship they would have had.
'But that's why I take photos, because when he's older he'll be able to see he was participating.'
Darren Langton (pictured with Harvey and partner Jessica) died suddenly from unknown causes at his home in Dorchester, three days after his son Harvey's first birthday in 2017
The grieving mother said the tear-jerking clip shows the reality of a toddler not understanding the death of a parent. Pictured: Darren with his son, months before he died
Jessica said the tear-jerking clip shows the reality of a toddler not understanding the death of a parent, as she wrestles with how to tell Harvey without 'turning his world upside down'.
'I think this video shows the reality for a lot of other little ones [who've lost a parent],' she explained.
'You can see from the video that he's okay. He knows Daddy's not there, but he doesn't know he's died.
'Given his age, I don't think he understands the concept of death. He's just used to a life of Daddy's photos, and talking about it through me.'
Revealing her plans on how to explain Darren's passing to their son, Jessica continued: 'I've made a decision that I'll continue doing what I've been doing and gradually embed it as much as I can, and I'm going to leave it to Harvey to ask me.
Newborn Harvey with his doting father Darren. On the afternoon of October 25, 2017, Jessica and Harvey returned home to find Darren had passed away unexpectedly
'That's how I know he'll be ready for it. I don't want to be the one to turn his world upside down. I'll sit him down and I want to be the one to tell him. I don't want it to be from anyone else, I want it to come from me.
And while Jessica explained that at first Harvey didn't understand where they would be going every Sunday, he now runs towards the memorial 'all excited shouting "Daddy, Daddy! Look, cars"'.
'When we get to the stone, he'll then lay down and play. He's connected it all together,' Jessica added.
'Even when we're at home, I'll say "we're going to see Daddy today. What toys would you like to take?"
'He'll help me arrange the flowers or if the stone needs cleaning, I'll give him the sponge and pour the water over while he's scrubbing away.'
Not fully understanding what the grave means, Harvey prefers to show his father his favourite toy cars
And while Jessica explained that at first Harvey didn't understand where they would be going every Sunday, he now runs towards the headstone 'shouting "Daddy, Daddy! Look, cars"'
On the afternoon of October 25, 2017, Jessica and Harvey returned home to find Darren had passed away unexpectedly.
An inquest ruled his death was 'undetermined' and Jessica says they will never know why he was suddenly taken from them.
While Jessica will never have all the answers, she plans to involve Darren in their lives as much as possible.
She said: 'In the last three months, Harvey's been asking a lot. He looks around and if anyone is blonde haired, he's asking if it's Daddy.
'I've done a billboard in his bedroom with photos because in the first year, we were always going out doing things like Marwell Zoo and Longleat. We also went on holiday to Turkey.
An inquest ruled Darren's death was 'undetermined' and Jessica says they will never know why he was suddenly taken from them
Jessica said she plans to involve Darren in their lives as much as possible and shares photographs, such as the one above, with her little one
'I make it our routine at night, instead of reading a bedtime story, I'll get Harvey to pick a photo and the story for that night will be what that photo is about.'
Jessica (pictured with Harvey) plans to spend Father's Day with her little one, adding: 'We’ll visit my dad for an hour, then it’ll be what we want to do that day. No one else is involved'
Jessica said: 'It's heartbreaking to know that Darren finally got his son then only had a year of his life with him.'
The grieving mother explained that she has changed Harvey's moniker to include Darren as a middle name.
Jessica hopes by sharing her experience as a widow with a young child, she will help others going through the same trauma.
'At the beginning it was really hard. Harvey is the spitting image of his dad,' she said. 'During grieving you're trying to get used to that person not being around.
'It was rewarding in a way because you've still got part of that person around, but then it's hard because it's a reminder of what you had and what's not there.
'I would say to people use your children. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Harvey. For someone so innocent and so unaware, he is my rock. As much as you feel down, know that you've got a little life to live for.'
Jessica plans to spend Father's Day with her little one, adding: 'We’ll visit my dad for an hour, then it’ll be what we want to do that day. No one else is involved.'
The grieving mother explained that she has changed Harvey's (pictured at his father's headstone) moniker to include Darren as a middle name
