Category: Parenting

The comedy duo, Jono and Ben, out of New Zealand show how a working mother would handle little kids walking in on a live BBC interview.
Family, Kids, Parenting

How A Working Mother Would Handle Kids Crashing Her Live Interview

And now for the working mother version of the funny, relatable interview seen around the world. Surely, you’ve seen Professor Robert Kelly being interviewed about South Korea on the BBC when his two young children came in the room. Parents around the world could relate and laughed. Now, a New Zealand comedy duo, Jono and Ben have come up with a comedy skit showing how a working mom would handle the same situation. There are some stereotypes here, to be

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How my daughter's secret compromised my marriage.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Kids, Marriage, Parenting

How My Daughter’s Secret Compromised My Marriage

They are the words that inspire panic in any well-meaning parent. “I’m going to tell you something,” my daughter announced this week, but you have to promise me you won’t tell any other member of this family.” Talk about the ultimate morals test. On one hand, I was thrilled and relieved that Daughter trusted me enough to share her deep, dark secret. On the other, keep a secret from my husband? We just don’t have that kind of marriage. On

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Through many years of heartbreak and frustration, journalist Parisa Khosravi, shares in a tedx talk how she helped her son with autism find his voice using rmp therapy.
Family, Overcoming Obstacles, Parenting, The Hard Stuff, Uplifting Stories

How One Incredible Mom Helped Her Son With Autism Find His Voice

This isn’t just a story of one mom who has a son with autism. This one is more personal for me. It’s about my good friend and former CNN colleague, Parisa Khosravi, and her son Payam. I’ll never forget sitting across from Parisa at Houston’s. This is probably 11 years ago. Her young son wasn’t hitting the usual developmental milestones. After extensive testing, they had a diagnosis. This beautiful boy with the longest eyelashes ever was on the autism spectrum.

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A single letter that arrived in the mail made me realize I've failed at parenting. Even worse, I'm out of time to fix it.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Kids, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, Parenting

The Moment I Realized I Failed Parenting. How About You?

My daughter will tell you I’m crazy. She doesn’t understand. At all. Somewhere between two days before Christmas and New Year’s Eve I simply had a revelation. That I messed up. Not my mother-in-law’s chocolate pie. Not my first novel. Though, I certainly did a fine job of making a disaster of both of those. I’m talking big. As in parenthood. Yeah, I messed up parenthood. The awareness has been creeping in our home with each arriving college acceptance letter.

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Taking the temperature in my marriage. Husband and I cannot agree on how to do it.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Marriage, Parenting

Taking The Temperature In My Marriage

It’s not that I’m blaming anyone. After all, the terms were right there in bold print in the Mommy contract. Maybe you signed the same one, Dear Reader? The one where you swear you don’t believe in germs. Not when it comes to taking care of your ailing family. You convince yourself you’re invincible, Have a special super hero protection shield, And do what you have to do in order to take care of everyone else. That’s how I ended

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Animals, Daryn's Blog, Family, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, Parenting, The Hard Stuff

How A Fish Explained The Hardest Part About Parenting To Me

I’m in debt to a fish. The fish, who in 10 seconds, explained my parenting conundrum to me. Keep your expert books, parenting websites. I have clarity now. Thanks to the fish. You see, Dear Reader, my daughter is a senior in high school. We are in the season of looking at colleges. So much has changed since I went 10,000 years ago. These days, the kids put everything they want in a school and a software program spits out

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Daughter's seemingly impossible travel wish helps Valerie Hartman shift to yes from always automatically saying no.
Guest Blog, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, Overcoming Obstacles, Parenting, The Hard Stuff

Guest Blogger: The Gift Of Shifting Into Yes

(Note from Daryn: Guest Blogger Valerie Hartman stops into DarynKagan.com to share her big lesson about shifting into yes. Instead of always thinking something isn’t possible, maybe, just maybe it is.) It started in the spring of 2015.   My daughter casually mentioned a conversation she had recently had with her Dad.  She told me that he wanted to take her to Paris on one of their next scheduled trips (spoiler alert-we are divorced-not the most amicable-but have figured out how

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The From Behind photo I created for my friend.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Kids, Love Stories, Overcoming Obstacles, Parenting

‘From Behind’ Photos Tell The Best Stories

My finger needs to calm down. Fight the itch. The one that is so quick to delete. The one that is instant judge and jury over a photo not being worthy. I’m reminded of this lesson as I go through old family photos. Which to keep. Which to toss. Does your delete finger itchy, as well, Dear Reader? The one that is about to delete that imperfect photo. You know you’re inclined to do it. Make more space on your

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Judge Amber Wolf of Louisville, Kentucky makes an exception and allows an inmate to meet his baby son for the first time.
Family, Kindness, Parenting, The Hard Stuff, Uplifting Stories

Judge Allows Inmate To Meet Baby Son For First Time

An exception, a rare act of compassion for an inmate. A man who happens also to be a new father. This is nothing they teach you in law school. Or how to be a judge. Still, Louisville, Kentucky Judge Amber Wolf calls this “probably one of the best things I’ve ever done.” Judge Wolf pushed aside typical procedures and allowed inmate James Roeder to meet his one-month old son for the first time. WDRB.com reports that both Roeder and his

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How my mother shocked me with news of a secret love in one of our final moments together.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Parenting, The Hard Stuff

How My Mother Shocked Me In One Of Our Final Moments Together

Leave it to my mom to depart this world with an incredible story. A surprise. A mystery. This one unfolded during the early morning hours in her darkened hospital room in the days before she passed a few weeks ago. Just me and her. Oh, how I’m thankful for those stolen private moments available only because the nurses offered me the couch and some blankets to spend the night in my mother’s room. Moments to write down all that she

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