Neil Turner's Blog: The Daddy Essays
January 7, 2026
Essay Samples
Two of my essays have been previously published by The Oklahoman, our state newspaper.
Here are some links if you would like to sample some of my work. If you get a pop up ad about a subscription, you should just be able to close it to continue reading.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opini...
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifes...
Here are some links if you would like to sample some of my work. If you get a pop up ad about a subscription, you should just be able to close it to continue reading.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opini...
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifes...
How The Daddy Essays book came to be...
I didn’t set out to write a book.
After our daughter Colby passed away at age two, I began writing stories to include with donations made in her memory—small explanations of why certain missions mattered to our family. That writing grew into an effort to preserve memories of being her dad, and along the way, it became an unexpected form of therapy. Hard, draining, and healing all at once.
Those essays were never meant to be a book. They were for me. But over time, the writing expanded to include stories about my other two children—the funny moments, the hard ones, and the lessons that come with raising a child with autism.
Friends and family began sharing the essays with others, and eventually the idea took hold that maybe these stories could matter beyond our home.
The Daddy Essays is simply that: honest stories from a dad on an unusual journey, written in the hope they might make you laugh, reflect, or hold your people a little closer.
Thank you for reading and being here.
After our daughter Colby passed away at age two, I began writing stories to include with donations made in her memory—small explanations of why certain missions mattered to our family. That writing grew into an effort to preserve memories of being her dad, and along the way, it became an unexpected form of therapy. Hard, draining, and healing all at once.
Those essays were never meant to be a book. They were for me. But over time, the writing expanded to include stories about my other two children—the funny moments, the hard ones, and the lessons that come with raising a child with autism.
Friends and family began sharing the essays with others, and eventually the idea took hold that maybe these stories could matter beyond our home.
The Daddy Essays is simply that: honest stories from a dad on an unusual journey, written in the hope they might make you laugh, reflect, or hold your people a little closer.
Thank you for reading and being here.
The Daddy Essays
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