diff --git a/CHANGELIST b/CHANGELIST
index 4665c51..d2c4739 100644
--- a/CHANGELIST
+++ b/CHANGELIST
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+1.3.1 whoops - prevent process_children_only from getting set from blank value in defaults
+
 1.3.0 changed monitor_children_only to process_children_only. which keeps sanoid from messing around with empty parent datasets at all.
       also more thoroughly documented features in default config files.
 
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index f0bb29e..3a3cd8c 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.3.0
+1.3.1
diff --git a/sanoid b/sanoid
index a254d02..b7345e9 100755
--- a/sanoid
+++ b/sanoid
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # from http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html on 2014-11-17.  A copy should also be available in this
 # project's Git repository at https://github.com/jimsalterjrs/sanoid/blob/master/LICENSE.
 
-my $version = '1.2.0';
+my $version = '1.3.1';
 
 use strict;
 use Config::IniFiles;   # read samba-style conf file
@@ -555,7 +555,7 @@ sub init {
 			# set default values from %defaults, which can then be overriden by template
 			# and/or local settings within the module.
 			foreach my $key (keys %{$defaults{'template_default'}}) {
-				if (! ($key =~ /template|recursive/)) { 
+				if (! ($key =~ /template|recursive|children_only/)) { 
 					$config{$section}{$key} = $defaults{'template_default'}{$key}; 
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/syncoid b/syncoid
index 9a7e445..4aad399 100755
--- a/syncoid
+++ b/syncoid
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # from http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html on 2014-11-17.  A copy should also be available in this
 # project's Git repository at https://github.com/jimsalterjrs/sanoid/blob/master/LICENSE.
 
-my $version = '1.3.0';
+my $version = '1.3.1';
 
 use strict;
 use Data::Dumper;