In Spite of Us
Kids grow up in spite of us--unknown Within two hours of departure, it’s obvious -- we have a different set of kids than last summer’s trek to Colorado. We’re having fewer if any unannounced bathroom stops, our total elapsed stop time (TEST) is half of what it was a...
When Being With My Family Feels Like Being In A Tank Of Piranhas…
When being with my family feels like being in a tank of piranhas, there's a fair chance I'm perceiving threat. We talk about self-regulation as a means of returning to felt safety but sometimes it’s a much deeper process then just relaxing our muscles. Here’s one...
The Power of Written Intention
The Power of Written Intention and the Noticing Brain The six of us have flown across the country into an Omicron hot-spot. And the one with severe travel anxiety and constant homesickness? No, he hasn't grown out of it. The older teens are quick to give us parenting...
Co-regulation: a Parents’ Superpower
Seven years ago a little girl was deteriorating from a plethora of mysterious symptoms. The most highly trained physicians and clinicians had no name for her condition, which also meant no treatment. Her Mom tried everything and felt powerless to help her. That’s...
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴…𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴…𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? Intentional living means understanding your fundamental beliefs and values and then actively living your life in line with those values. Tapping into those values daily is the difference between living life on...
I Float Back…
I’m floating down the river on my daughter’s 14th birthday. Why am I so excited to be leading this group of teens? Why am I so happy? I float back... For as long as I remember, teens have felt like foreign creatures. Not foreign like “these kids have weird style and...
I Failed Creating This Book
Our book Forward-Facing® Freedom is completed. For me it’s reaching a developmental milestone, checking my first book project off my bucket list. As I was wondering what to share, I thought “oh, I don’t want to make it about me.” But as I pondered further, I realized...
From Strangers to Safety
From Strangers to Safety Jenny's experience in Forward-Facing Me I wrote this reflection in 2018, back when Eric Gentry was a relative stranger and I was just beginning my journey with self-regulation and intentionality. Since then I've had the privilege to lead...
National Daughter’s Day…
National Daughter's Day... What a privilege to be an instrument of generational change. With each milestone and opportunity they experience that I was deprived of, I'm grateful for the resilience that gives me freedom and joy to escort them through these stages. Girls...
What does it mean to live for 16 years in one home?
Our Dobson Ranch home of 16 years closed today in the smoothest transaction we could asked for. Here is a Jenny-style reflection of 16 years of "Place". What does it mean to live for 16 years in one home? I moved a lot as a kid -- 10 times between 6 and 16, so I’ve...
The Voice Box
No-Talk Rule - This foundational dysfunctional family rule demands children never tell the truth to outsiders and never speak up to their abusers. Blurry shapes floated in and out as I lay on the operating table trying to wake up. The smell of antiseptic burned my...
We are Dented Cans
Dented cans are cast aside, although they are not broken. A dent is not the can’s fault, it did not decide to get dropped, or kicked, or mishandled. It just happened. The dent can’t be removed. The dent is on the outside of the can, it cannot be hidden or disguised....
The Threat of Peace
The Threat of Peace Hypervigilance: The state of being highly alert to potential danger or threat I sat on the floor practicing my Forward Facing trauma techniques as I rubbed my hands across the thick bedroom carpet. Grounding myself in the present, I took a deep...
The Friend of Love
The Friend of Love - Resiliency My best friend is moving away. She’d been dropping hints for months, but I decided to retreat behind a wall of denial and hope for the best. The best was not to be. Ellen is moving, and there isn’t anything I can do about it. We had our...
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
The Stories We Tell Ourselves - Emotional Regulation My first grade year was the first time in my life I felt understood. I loved everything about school. The snacks, the smell of mimeographed worksheets, learning how to read and write, the playground, and most of...
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