PAL Blog
A Parent’s Story
Articles by Parents Like You
When Love Means Doing Things Differently
When Love Means Doing Things Differently I am the parent of four children and two grandchildren. My daughter, Rita, was adopted from another country as an infant. At the age of fifteen, she became pregnant and made the loving decision to place her child up for...
What I Had to Unlearn to Truly Love My Son
I am a mother of two sons and one daughter, and a grandmother to a grandson and granddaughter. I want to share the story of my son, Chance. Chance had a normal childhood. He was active, fun, and kind—but also a bit of a daredevil. He liked to push boundaries, bend...
Delayed Growth: A Parent’s Path to Boundaries
I am the parent of two stepdaughters and a grandparent to seven grandchildren. When Kathy was five years old, her mother and I became a family. From an early age, my stepdaughter Kathy stood out as bright and capable. Unlike her older sister, she didn’t seem to need...
The View from Recovery
Articles by People in Recovery
Trusted With More
June in Phoenix has a way of reminding me. The heat doesn’t ask permission before it arrives. It settles over everything - sidewalks, steering wheels, skin, breath. There is a heaviness to it that only people who have lived through an Arizona summer truly understand....
Only a Mother’s Love
Mother’s Day used to be complicated for me. Not because I didn’t believe in it… but because I didn’t know where I fit in it. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t showing up as the kind of daughter any mother would feel celebrated by. I was the one creating chaos....
Purpose to Pain
It had four walls. A front seat, a back seat, and a windshield that turned the Phoenix sun into something almost unbearable. By mid‑morning, the heat would begin to rise, and by afternoon it pressed in from every direction—thick and unmoving—making it hard to breathe....
From Counselors
Articles by PAL and Partner Counselors
When Helping Becomes Hurting: Rethinking Our Role as Parents of Adult Children
Adapted from The Four Seasons of Recovery By Michael Speakman (founder of PAL) As parents, helping comes naturally. It’s wired into us. When our children struggle—especially with substance use—we often do everything we can to protect, guide, and support them. But...
Loving Your Adult Child Without Losing Yourself
Reflections for Parents — Especially Moms — from a Counselor’s PerspectiveAdapted from The Four Seasons of Recovery, by Michael Speakman, LISAC (PAL Founder) One of the hardest truths parents must face is this: love alone is not always enough to change addiction — and...
When Helping Hurts: Shifting from Parenting a Child to Parenting an Adult
Adapted from The Four Seasons of Recovery, or Parents of Alcoholics and Addicts, By Michael Speakman (founder of PAL) As parents, helping our children feels instinctive. When they are struggling, hurting, or stuck, our first impulse is to step in, smooth the road,...
