One thing’s for sure about parenting - it’s hard. Even more so with gifted and twice-exceptional kids. But parents often get so caught up in taking care of their kids they forget the all-important self-care. Jen Torbeck Merrill is the author of If This Is a Gift, Can I Send It Back, and also a parenting self-care advocate. She’s our guest on episode 33 of Mind Matters.

About the guest - Jen Merrill is an Illinois-based writer, blogger, flutist, and gifted family advocate. The mom of two boys, she homeschools her twice-exceptional teen while happily sending his brother off to middle school every morning. She is a music educator by trade, with degrees in music education and flute performance. Jen started blogging in 2006 and now runs the website LaughingAtChaos.com. Her book, If This is a Gift, Can I Send It Back, is available wherever books are sold. Jen can be found at An Intense Life, and has published articles in the Understanding Our Gifted Journal and Huffington Post.

Jen is a Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Ambassador and has presented at several national and international gifted conferences, and she’s scheduled to present a keynote address as the SENG 2019 National Conference this year in Houston, TX.

Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, and is the mother of three gifted children.