In a world of 24 hour television programming you might think there would be a reliable channel to surf to for parenting information. While PBS and the Discovery Channel occasionally broadcast shows about a baby being born or some obscure research program affecting a small percentage of families, there is nothing available for the typical parent who is curious about how other families handle life's many ups and downs.

Speculation could be that the few organizations who have tried may have had difficulty getting enough agreement from professionals as to some definitive "right way" to parent so ended up giving up.

Enter the "Parent Television Network" (www.ptvn.org). This non-profit organization has recently begun broadcasting on a limited number of cable channels and also worldwide through internet transmissions. This group of professionals in the fields of parent education, psychotherapy, media relations, and other related industries share a "vision to inspire and foster a worldwide dialogue about parenting by offering television programs and an internet presence that highlights and supports the role of parents and caregivers as shapers of the future."

Their goals involve providing programming which takes a wide range of parenting issues and simply shows the viewer how others from around the world are handling (or in some cases not handling) these challenges in their homes. Programs are designed to get parents thinking and talking together about possibilities. There are often experts from both sides of an issue who present a balanced view which allows the viewer to decide and choose what might work in their own family.

Parent Television Network (PTVN) presents programs which look at the wide range of definition of "parent" and typical parenting issues from first time parent to non-traditional caregiver roles, to children with disabilities to inspirational and lesser known challenges faced by parents around the world.

The Parent Television Network regards parents as a community - a world community - where all parents love their children and through our common connections as parents this great wide world can become smaller, closer and ultimately, more at peace.