Jen Merrill on 2e Parenting: Take Care of Yourselves

Increasing focus is being paid to twice-exceptional learners — those who are gifted but also face learning challenges — and how to best support their needs and provide better learning environments. A common thread in virtually all successful approaches is the presence of a parent advocating for their 2e child. But in these cases, who is taking care of the parent? Jen Merrill has twice-exceptional kids. She has advocated for them, homeschooled one of them — and burned herself out in the process. Now the author of If this is a Gift, Can I Send it Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice Exceptional is focused on helping fellow parents of 2e kids. Merrill chatted with 2e news about what parents can do to support themselves while fighting for their children. “You are more than just this advocacy mouthpiece for your kid,” Merrill said.   Jen Merrill is an Illinois-based writer and gifted family advocate who runs laughingatchaos.com. The mom of two teen sons, she graduated one from homeschool and is happily watching the public schooler thrive. She is a music educator by trade, with degrees in music education and flute performance. Her writing has focused on gifted families and advocacy, and Jen has branched out into greater advocacy in gifted issues, particularly the needs of parents, personalized learning for gifted and twice-exceptional kids, and giftedness as wiring throughout life. She has keynoted at conferences such as SENG and TECA.