‘The Pioneer Woman’ Star Ree Drummond Posts an Emotional Tribute as She Sends Her Youngest Son Off to College
The Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond posted an emotional tribute to her youngest son, Todd, as she prepared to take him off to college. After she loaded her vehicle with all his things, she hopped on social media and predicted that she’d soon return home to wander the house, looking for remnants of him under the cushions and pillows.
Ree Drummond’s kids are all out of the house
Before she was The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond had her first child, daughter Alex, in 1997, followed by her sister Paige in 1999. Her oldest son, Bryce, was born in 2002, and Todd came along in 2004. They welcomed a foster son, Jamar, in 2018, and she revealed he became “an inextricable part of [her] wacky family” (People).
After Ree and her family adjusted to Jamar’s departure for college and prepared for Todd to do the same, she jumped on Instagram to gush a little. She shared, “My youngest kid, my favorite high school quarterback, and basically one of my favorite people on earth.”
Ree Drummond predicts she’ll look for ‘granola bar wrappers and random sweaty socks’ in an emotional tribute to Todd
Drummond hopped on Instagram to share pictures of her youngest child holding a baby. “Last fall, Todd went up to South Dakota for a game day visit and bought a onesie for one of his high school coaches, who’d just welcomed a new baby girl,” she explained in the caption.
She added, “Last night, that same baby girl wore the onesie to our high school football banquet, where Todd (QB) and his best friend Tyrel (RB) got to share the Offensive Player of the Year Award.”
“Today, I loaded my vehicle with all of Todd’s things, including different plastic organizer boxes I’d labeled ‘First Aid/Medicine’ and ‘School Supplies’ and the like,” she shared. “Tomorrow, we pull away from the ranch before daylight to take Todd to South Dakota, where he’ll be attending college and playing football.”
Drummond predicted that after Todd is off the ranch, she will “probably [be] wandering around the house and looking under cushions and pillows for granola bar wrappers and random sweaty socks, or other things” that could help her pretend her youngest is still home.
“If this made you cry, you, too, have taken your baby to college,” she concluded. “Can you let me know if I will survive this? Thank you.”
Ree and Ladd Drummond established new rituals to distract from their empty nest
Since Todd is their last child to move out, Ree and Ladd Drummond, who married in 1996, have already started to prepare for life as empty nesters. She shared that they’re making new rituals together to help distract them from a quieter house.
“Ladd and I are actively trying to establish new activities together as the empty nest approaches,” Ree shared on Instagram. “So we take evening walks together now!”
Fans thanked her for being “so inspiring for all of us approaching the ’empty nest’ stage in life!”
Others shared advice. “Have you tried pickleball?” one follower asked, and another agreed it’s an excellent empty-nester sport. “My husband and I took up pickleball when we became empty-nesters! It was the best thing ever,” they wrote, adding, “We are in shape and having a blast.”
