by Jeanne Faulkner, Contributing Writer

Service animals provide therapy all over the world.  When Dave, a professional landscaper adopted Pat, a 5-year-old border collie, from a Humane Society Shelter, he wasn’t looking for a miracle worker, just someone to keep him company on-the-job. What he found, however, was a dog with super-powers. Now, as one of 10,000 pet-partner teams registered with the Delta Society, Dave and Pat visit hospitals and Alzheimer’s care centers in Oregon.  Dave says, “Pat gets people talking, calms them down and gives them an opportunity to enjoy being with a dog. It’s more powerful than it sounds. 
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Special Contribution by Tara Ewalt, the @momofaaddict

Through a Twitter request, @momofaaddict sent @ParenTvNetwork a DM expressing her struggle.  She wanted to openly share her concern for her child who is an addict.  Find other parents and learn what other parents may be experiencing — even learned, as young adult death tolls are sadly increasing.  The following is her writing that came from our Tweet exchange.

My Sweet Boy, an Addict

When I started to write about my son’s addiction, it was in an anonymous blog.  I did not want anyone to know that I had a child who is a drug addict. It is embarrassing.

After all what kind of mother would allow her child to be this way?  What kind of mother was I to have him turn to drugs? What would my friends and family think?  It was a secret that was killing my family; not only was his addiction killing us, keeping the secret was too. For me it was really hard to see my son go down this path. I tried so many times to rescue and help him; nothing worked no matter how hard I tried. No matter what I did it was never enough to get him off drugs.  

I felt that I somehow had screwed him up so badly, that I caused this.
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by Julia Neiman, Our Special Guest Expert in Parenting Teens & Teen Life Coach

Simply stated, a power struggle is when two people want the same power and neither one of them has a firm grip on it.  Power struggles with teens are not uncommon as they are in that stage where they are trying to have more control over their life.  They are learning to separate themselves from others as an independent person which often causes them to test their limits. 
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by Julia Neiman, Special Guest Contributor for Parents with Teens

Do your teenagers remind you of two year olds?  There’s a good reason for that – it’s all about autonomy and self-identity
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Jeanne Faulkner, Contributing Writer

Just how much does it cost to raise a child these days?  The answer:  It all depends on how you raise them.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the cost of raising a baby to adulthood has risen by 40 percent in the last ten years.  They estimate that a child born in 2010 will cost a middle-income, dual-career family $226,920 dollars to get them through to 18 years of age. That total does not include college.  On average, you can expect to pay between $8480 and $13,380 (or more) annually for various child-raising expenses.

What do you get for that price? 
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