diff --git a/arch/at91sam3x8e/serial.c b/arch/at91sam3x8e/serial.c
index 84aaa96..aac280a 100644
--- a/arch/at91sam3x8e/serial.c
+++ b/arch/at91sam3x8e/serial.c
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ void irq_uart(void)
 
 	/* REG_UART_PDC_TCR has reached zero */
 	if (state & REG_UART_SR_ENDTX_MASK) {
-		/* this might be NULL but that's ok because free() tolerates that */
-		dmabuf_put(arch_serial_default_device.tx_current);
+		if (arch_serial_default_device.tx_current != NULL)
+			dmabuf_put(arch_serial_default_device.tx_current);
 
 		/* DMA automatically does this to the actual hardware registers */
 		arch_serial_default_device.tx_current = arch_serial_default_device.tx_next;
diff --git a/include/ardix/device.h b/include/ardix/device.h
index 9975834..e4bb825 100644
--- a/include/ardix/device.h
+++ b/include/ardix/device.h
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ struct device {
 };
 
 /** Cast a kent out to its containing struct device */
-#define to_device(ptr) container_of(ptr, struct device, kent)
+#define kent_to_device(ptr) container_of(ptr, struct device, kent)
 
 extern struct kent *devices_kent;
 
@@ -27,10 +27,9 @@ int devices_init(void);
  * Initialize a device and add it to the device tree.
  *
  * @param dev: device to initialze
- * @param parent: parent device (may me `NULL` if unapplicable)
  * @returns 0 on success, or a negative error code on failure
  */
-int device_init(struct device *dev, struct device *parent);
+int device_init(struct device *dev);
 
 /** Increment a device's reference counter. */
 inline void device_get(struct device *dev)
diff --git a/include/ardix/dma.h b/include/ardix/dma.h
index 14bd48b..0135bd5 100644
--- a/include/ardix/dma.h
+++ b/include/ardix/dma.h
@@ -13,8 +13,11 @@ struct dmabuf {
 	uint8_t data[0];
 };
 
+#define kent_to_dmabuf(ptr) container_of(ptr, struct dmabuf, kent)
+
 /**
  * Create a new DMA buffer and its corresponding kent.
+ * Use `dmabuf_get` and `dmabuf_put` for refcounting.
  *
  * @param dev: device to create the buffer for
  * @param len: buffer length in bytes
diff --git a/include/ardix/kent.h b/include/ardix/kent.h
index cb2bcb1..3042bcf 100644
--- a/include/ardix/kent.h
+++ b/include/ardix/kent.h
@@ -25,7 +25,10 @@ struct kent_ops {
 /**
  * struct kent: Kernel Entity
  *
- * This is basically a primitive ripoff of the kobject system in Linux.
+ * This is basically a primitive ripoff of the kobject system in Linux, except
+ * there is no representation in a virtual filesystem and it is only really used
+ * to keeping track of hierarchial reference counting.
+ *
  * The main purpose of kents is to provide a basic common abstraction layer for
  * all modules and submodules of the Ardix kernel.  kents are arranged in a tree
  * structure, and use an atomic reference counter to keep track of when it is
@@ -42,13 +45,23 @@ struct kent {
 extern struct kent *kent_root;
 
 /**
- * Initialize a kent and increment its refcounter by one.
+ * Initialize to root kent.
+ * This should probably be called before bootstrapping anything else hooking
+ * into the kent hierarchy i guess.
  *
- * @param kent: The kent.
- * @param parent: The parent kent.
- * @returns A nonzero value on failure
+ * @returns a nonzero value on failure
  */
-int kent_init(struct kent *kent, struct kent *parent);
+int kent_root_init(void);
+
+/**
+ * Initialize a kent and set its refcount to one.
+ * This will fail unless both the operations and parent members are initialized.
+ * The parent refcount is incremented.
+ *
+ * @param kent: the kent
+ * @returns a nonzero value on failure
+ */
+int kent_init(struct kent *kent);
 
 /**
  * Increment the reference counter.
@@ -60,7 +73,7 @@ void kent_get(struct kent *kent);
 /**
  * Decrement the reference counter.
  * If it reaches zero, the kent is destroyed by invoking the respective callback
- * in the operations field.
+ * in the operations field and the parent reference counter is also decremented.
  *
  * @param kent: The kent.
  */
diff --git a/kernel/device.c b/kernel/device.c
index aa22b4e..724360c 100644
--- a/kernel/device.c
+++ b/kernel/device.c
@@ -12,14 +12,14 @@
 
 struct kent *devices_kent = NULL;
 
-static void device_destroy(struct kent *kent)
+static void devices_destroy(struct kent *kent)
 {
-	struct device *dev = to_device(kent);
-	free(dev);
+	/* should never be executed because the root devices kent is immortal */
+	free(kent);
 }
 
 struct kent_ops devices_kent_ops = {
-	.destroy = &device_destroy,
+	.destroy = &devices_destroy,
 };
 
 /** Initialize the devices subsystem. */
@@ -32,18 +32,33 @@ int devices_init(void)
 	if (devices_kent == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	/* we don't need that because the root device kent lives forever */
-	devices_kent->operations = NULL;
+	devices_kent->parent = kent_root;
+	devices_kent->operations = &devices_kent_ops;
 
-	return kent_init(devices_kent, NULL);
+	return kent_init(devices_kent);
 }
 
-int device_init(struct device *dev, struct device *parent)
+static void device_destroy(struct kent *kent)
+{
+	struct device *dev = kent_to_device(kent);
+	free(dev);
+}
+
+struct kent_ops device_kent_ops = {
+	.destroy = &device_destroy,
+};
+
+int device_init(struct device *dev)
 {
 	if (devices_kent == NULL)
 		return -ENOENT;
 
-	return kent_init(&dev->kent, devices_kent);
+	if (dev->kent.operations == NULL)
+		dev->kent.operations = &device_kent_ops;
+	if (dev->kent.parent == NULL)
+		dev->kent.parent = devices_kent;
+
+	return kent_init(&dev->kent);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/kernel/dma.c b/kernel/dma.c
index 0866e5f..45644b3 100644
--- a/kernel/dma.c
+++ b/kernel/dma.c
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@
 
 static void dmabuf_destroy(struct kent *kent)
 {
-	struct dmabuf *buf = container_of(kent, struct dmabuf, kent);
+	struct dmabuf *buf = kent_to_dmabuf(kent);
 	free(buf);
 }
 
-static struct kent_ops dma_kent_ops = {
+static struct kent_ops dmabuf_kent_ops = {
 	.destroy = &dmabuf_destroy,
 };
 
@@ -27,10 +27,11 @@ struct dmabuf *dmabuf_create(struct device *dev, size_t len)
 	if (buf == NULL)
 		return NULL;
 
-	buf->kent.operations = &dma_kent_ops;
+	buf->kent.parent = &dev->kent;
+	buf->kent.operations = &dmabuf_kent_ops;
 
-	err = kent_init(&buf->kent, &dev->kent);
-	if (err != 0) {
+	err = kent_init(&buf->kent);
+	if (err) {
 		free(buf);
 		return NULL;
 	}
diff --git a/kernel/kent.c b/kernel/kent.c
index e408cbd..be0c1c8 100644
--- a/kernel/kent.c
+++ b/kernel/kent.c
@@ -2,33 +2,57 @@
 /* See the end of this file for copyright, licensing, and warranty information. */
 
 #include <ardix/atom.h>
+#include <ardix/malloc.h>
 #include <ardix/kent.h>
 #include <ardix/list.h>
 
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 
-struct kent *kent_root;
+struct kent *kent_root = NULL;
 
-int kent_init(struct kent *kent, struct kent *parent)
+static void kent_root_destroy(struct kent *kent)
 {
-	int ret = 0;
+	/*
+	 * this callback should never actually be executed in the first place
+	 * because the kent root lives as long as the kernel is running but hey,
+	 * it's not like our flash memory has a size limit or anything :)
+	 */
+	free(kent);
+	kent_root = NULL;
+}
 
-	if (kent->operations == NULL)
-		return -EFAULT;
-	if (kent->operations->destroy == NULL)
+static struct kent_ops kent_root_ops = {
+	.destroy = &kent_root_destroy,
+};
+
+int kent_root_init(void)
+{
+	if (kent_root != NULL)
+		return -EEXIST;
+
+	kent_root = malloc(sizeof(*kent_root));
+	if (kent_root == NULL)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	kent_root->parent = NULL;
+	kent_root->operations = &kent_root_ops;
+	atom_init(&kent_root->refcount);
+	kent_get(kent_root);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int kent_init(struct kent *kent)
+{
+	if (kent->parent == NULL || kent->operations == NULL)
 		return -EFAULT;
+	kent_get(kent->parent);
 
 	atom_init(&kent->refcount);
 	kent_get(kent);
 
-	if (parent == NULL)
-		parent = kent_root;
-
-	kent_get(parent);
-	kent->parent = parent;
-
-	return ret;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 void kent_get(struct kent *kent)
@@ -38,16 +62,13 @@ void kent_get(struct kent *kent)
 
 void kent_put(struct kent *kent)
 {
-	struct kent *parent;
-
-	while (kent != NULL) {
-		parent = kent->parent;
-
-		if (atom_put(&kent->refcount) != 0)
-			break;
+	struct kent *parent = kent->parent;
 
+	if (atom_put(&kent->refcount) == 0) {
 		kent->operations->destroy(kent);
-		kent = parent;
+
+		if (parent != NULL)
+			kent_put(parent);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/kernel/serial.c b/kernel/serial.c
index 697d649..c07f0cc 100644
--- a/kernel/serial.c
+++ b/kernel/serial.c
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ int serial_init(struct serial_device *dev, long int baud)
 	if (dev->id < 0)
 		return -1; /* invalid dev */
 
-	err = device_init(&dev->device, NULL);
+	err = device_init(&dev->device);
 
 	dev->baud = baud;