Author: DarynKagan

I would've sworn I wasn't going to cry as I launched into Empty Nest time. Then this happened on one very crowded airplane.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Parenting, The Hard Stuff

Those Were Not The Empty Nest Tears I Was Expecting

What really went down after I dropped off our youngest at college This was not the plan.      Not the plan for the plane at all.      “How do you think you’ll do?”      This question has come from multiple directions all summer long.      All in anticipation of what mothers around the world dread.      The Empty Nest.      I could’ve placed one hand across my heart and the other on a stack of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and answered entirely truthfully.      “I’m fine. Actually,” I’d

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Daria and Jim get five boxes each. What would go in yours?
Daryn's Blog, Overcoming Obstacles, The Hard Stuff

What Do You Keep If Your Entire Life Had To Fit In Five Boxes?

Daria and Jim are a nightmare. At least to certain forces we face every day. The companies and marketers who bombard us with romance of stuff. No matter how much you have, you need more. Clothes, shoes, boats, houses, trinkets. Daria, especially, gets that. Stuff-loving hoarder. That’s how she described herself. So much stuff it led her to having one of those “How’d we get here?” moments. “We looked up and realized we had lived in the same house for

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The shocking thing I caught my husband doing in bed inspired the perfect gift for our anniversary.
Daryn's Blog, Marriage

The Shocking Thing I’ve Caught My Husband Doing In Bed Inspires Perfect Anniversary Gift

At least I have his anniversary present figured out. That’s what I’m telling myself. To calm down. After discovering what I discovered my husband doing. In bed. Where he wasn’t alone. He was there, Happily, With my beloved tweezers. Watching TV, relaxing, and removing random old man hairs. I pause early in this column to share, That all those years I dreamed of having a husband, A wonderful man in my bed, The image that came to mind, Well, safe

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Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Dogs, Pets

Why You Should Hire My Dog As Your Next Commencement Speaker

An opportunity has been missed. In this Graduation Season I see a long list of celebrities, politicians, and business giants asked to give commencement speeches. I watch. Looking to be impressed. Instead, I’m left with the feeling that once you get past the famous name, there’s often something missing. The feeling that, well, My dog could do better. So, graduates of the Class of 2018, let me fill in the blanks where perhaps your commencement speaker left you wanting. I

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At least my intentions were good when I ruined my four-year-old neighbor's birthday party.
Daryn's Blog, I Screwed Up, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn

How My Brilliant Idea Managed To Meltdown A Four Year-Old’s Birthday Party

It’s not that I meant to meltdown my four year-old neighbor’s birthday party. Just talented, I guess. And giftless. Yes, I dared to walk into a four year-old’s party without a gift. Crazy week, whatever. I know when you’re four, you know birthday equals presents. I did have what I thought was a brilliant idea. I just happened to have an old Hot Wheels car laying around. It must’ve been left over from a long ago visit from one of

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Best cure ever for my worst pity party of my life.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Overcoming Obstacles, Parenting

The One Who Cured The Worst Pity Party Of My Life

This week I have the story of one lucky girl.      A story that starts with a pathetic pity party.      Mine.      On a Sunday night, long ago.      What is it about Sunday nights?      How they magnify lonely and sad.      Which is what I cried to my best friend.      It wasn’t the first time we’d had this talk.      Which is probably why she cut short the empathy and sent me a link.      With a simple note.      “I think you need to do this.”      It

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My debut on CBS Sunday Morning talking sharing motherhood with a woman I will never be able to meet or thank.
Buzz, Daryn's Blog, Family, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, Parenting

CBS Sunday Morning Debut: A Mother’s Day Card For My Daughter’s First Mother

Thank you, CBS Sunday Morning, for the chance to be on your incredible program! Such a thrill to hear Jane Pauley introduce my piece. This is about dreams coming true in ways you don’t expect. About being in debt to others, And mostly, about one awesome daughter. And this is for you, You, who might be with the one you want this Mother’s Day. I’m sending love. And understanding. If enjoy this story, you might enjoy my book, “Hope Possible:

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Why, yes, I would save my dog first in case of a fire.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Parenting, Pets

Why, Yes, I Would Save My Dog First In Case Of A Fire. Wouldn’t You?

It’s one of the earliest memories of my horrifying my kids.      Earliest.      Not the last.      I am, after all,      A mother.      A conversation about fire safety started this particular episode.      We started with something like, “How would you get out of the house in an emergency?”      Once I was satisfied with their proposed plans, I shifted to the philosophical. “What is the one thing you would want to save?” I asked. The girls made me go first.      Which was easy, because

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Waffle House shooting hero James Shaw, Jr. says his four-year-old daughter was his inspiration to jump the shooter when he saw a moment of opportunity.
Good News, Heroes, Parenting, Uplifting Stories

Waffle House Shooting Hero Says Four Year Old Daughter Was His Inspiration To Act

Waffle House shooting hero James Shaw, Jr. knows the answer to the question. What would you do if you had a chance to save the lives of strangers even if it meant it might cost you your own life. This 29-year-old man knows. He acted. The Tennessean reports Travis Reinking, 29, opened fire at about 3:25 a.m. Sunday morning at a Waffle House outside Nashville, TN. Shaw Jr. had just come in the restaurant when he heard a crash. He

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Daryn's Blog, Family, Food, Parenting

The Joy Of Losing A Job I Have Loved So Very Much

It appears I’m losing my job. A job I’ve loved very much. A job I dreamed of getting for years. Even though I knew I was the least worthy person in the world. I didn’t have an ice cube in the desert’s chance of getting. And yet, It happened. Now, it’s going away. And I am, Well, Happy. Scratch that. Mark me down as giddy. The job? Like you, Dear Reader, it is one of many I juggle. I am,

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