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Kids & Family

Barnes: Making a Deal with My Daughter, Campaigning for the Boss and More

See what Janet Spencer Barnes had to say this month in Local Voices.

is back on Oak Forest Patch, sharing her experiences about her daughter's recovery following a devastating car accident in 2009. Check out the posts to see what she's been up to:

- Janet didn't cry when her mother died 12 years ago — at first. She explains how she eventually began to grieve and how the experience is related to a new website she established.

- You really learn what you believe when you begin to instruct your children. Janet realizes that when she's asked by another young lady with a traumatic brain injury about whether Juliana believes in God.

Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

- Working through the issues you have in your life can save you a lot of bad steps around them later. It's safe to say most of us are dysfunctional, according to Janet, as she reflects on her relationship with her father.

- Some decisions are full of regret but none so painful as those you didn't get a choice to make. Janet shares a "moment of regret, a second of lamenting and a breath of remorse" about an extreme medical procedure.

Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

- Janet finds out it might take many years to realize your vision of 'home' but it's never too late to try as she describes a special 15th anniversary gift from her husband.

- Juliana expects her family to mean what they say and she is willing to do the same in return. She is good at surprising her mother with a constant evolution -- and this one involves the family pet.

- Learning from her kids changes the way Janet sees herself. She knows she missed out on being one of the cool kids...or did she?

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