It’s Sponge Bob and Barbies.

It’s pajamas past noon.

It’s joyful.

It’s messy.

It’s an experiment.

Each moment’s results can reflect complete failure… or irrefutable success.

Or they can be inconclusive.

It’s learning something every day.

How do you define motherhood?

This photo is a part of the 5 Minutes for Mom Mother’s Day contest. They’ve teamed up with Eggbeaters to give away $1,000!

For More Wordless Wednesday, please go here or here.

Pass the Torch is officially two years old. Although I played around for a few months in the spring of 2006 — trying to figure out what a blog was — the first post that showed my true colors here was this one. I published it on April 26, 2006. It was a reprint from an Empowering Youth newsletter I published two years earlier. Who would think that four years from the original newsletter publication, I would be poised to publish a book on exactly this subject? Oh, if only I’d discovered blogging back then! What was your first blog post?

Original publication, April 2004.

Recently I attended a conference that happened to take place on “Take Your Kid to Work Day”. My 7-year-old daughter, Darla, brought home a note from school indicating the date and inviting parents to take their kids to work that day. I was pleased that I was scheduled to attend a conference and that it was relatively close to home, so it might work out for me to take her along and only have her miss the one day of school.

The issue, however, was that in addition to exhibiting, this time I was hired to speak at the conference, so I would be facilitating a two-hour training. I didn’t worry about Darla’s ability to help out as an exhibitor, but what about a speaking engagement?

I talked to Darla about my concerns and the expectations I would have for any assistant during a conference session, and she felt confident she could meet my expectations. It was to be a rather small conference with affirming, patient and youth-centered participants, and the session was only two hours, not a half or full-day. So if there was ever a conference to attempt a “Take Your Kid to Work Day”, this was the one.

Ultimately, it was an excellent experience for everyone involved. Darla was a valuable assistant in setting up the exhibit, as she was able to roll exhibit suitcases on her own and hold open doors for me as I carried in the heavy items. I never realized how much I needed an assistant until I had one! And in the preparation for our sectional, we had only a short time between sessions, so I really appreciated her help then as well. She was the ultimate professional for the two-hour period, allowing me to do my job, while helping participants with needed training supplies. And of course, the conference participants were exactly the positive, generous people I assumed they would be.

I learned several empowerment lessons from this experience:

• Adults need to take advantage of opportunities that help empowered young people experience success;
• Some situations pose less “risk” than others, so are prime opportunities to stretch youth and adult perception of a young person’s capability; and
• Inviting youth to participate in an experience different from their usual day broadens their perspective of the world and their future.

Of course, there are usually unexpected bonuses. During the conference, Darla participated in an art project facilitated by a talented Native American woman, gaining a new skill as well as a better understanding of a culture different from her own. I asked her what was the best part of “Take Your Kid to Work Day” — The swimming pool? The conference food? The exhibit candy? The fun art project?

Believe it or not, she said it was the two-hour ride in the truck to and from the conference. Why? Because we got to talk to each other the whole time.

This summer, I encourage you to find a way to empower a young person. Engage them in something you are doing. Take a risk. And reap the benefits…

You can join me each week by sharing a time kids make you proud, or a way adults are teaching, sharing — passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments.Former PTT posts.

UPDATE: Great news! GuestBook Store has offered a great discount to readers here - 10% off any GuestBook purchase! Just enter the code “THANKS” at checkout. Also, many of you mentioned that your favorite covers were sold out - and I’m informed that they’ll be back in stock in one week. Go check it out! Thanks!

Congratulations to the following winners during our big week of bloggy giveaways! Thanks so much to the hundreds of you who participated here at Pass the Torch, as well as the businesses who donated their excellent products!

Hidden Treasure of Assets Boardgame - Stacy, comment #33 and Jenny Up-the-Hill, #24

Announcements Galore $30 gift certificate - Playful Professional, comment #15

GuestBook Store $75 gift certificate - Suzie, comment #69

Winners have 48 hours to claim their prizes. Thank you!

I host regular giveaways for parents and educators. Please consider signing up for updates by email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

Looking for this week’s giveaways? They are here, here and here.

(Moments before the birthday boy crashed into one of his best buddies and stopped traffic.)

A few of you who have read this blog for a long time, may have wondered why last week I referred to Craig’s birthday party in April, when his birthday’s in January. The short answer is that it took him three months to plan his party.

Yes, Craig planned his own party, because my husband decided to use some Love and Logic on his disorganized son. In January he told Craig that he would pay for the party and transport his friends, but Craig had to figure out the date and activities, call parents and write invitations.

This was a lot for a scatterbrained third-grade boy to pull together, but what better time to empower your kids, than for something they want really badly?

And nobody seemed to care that he was actually nine years and three months old.

You can join me each week by sharing a time kids make us proud, or a way adults are teaching, sharing — passing the torch. Blog your story or share it in comments.Former PTT posts.

Find more Wordless Wednesday participants here.

Our birthday adventure took place at Action City.

UPDATE: Great news! GuestBook Store has offered a great discount to readers here - 10% off any GuestBook purchase! Just enter the code “THANKS” at checkout. Also, many of you mentioned that your favorite covers were sold out - and I’m informed that they’ll be back in stock in one week. Go check it out! Thanks!

This giveaway is now closed.

Thanks so much to the hundreds of you who participated in the giveaways this week here at Pass the Torch, as well as the businesses who donated their excellent products!

Congratulations to the GuestbookStore Winner - Suzie, comment #69

I’m so pleased to offer you all this excellent giveaway! GuestBook Store is your one-stop shop for fun and unique testimonial style guestbooks. Their headline is the wedding guestbook, which has been celebrated at more than 10,000 weddings to date. But they also offer these testimonial-style guestbooks for wedding showers, baby showers, birthdays, graduations, and other family occasions.

Rather than the traditional “book of autographs” these guestbooks capture guests’ memories and heartfelt wishes. Each guest receives his or her own page to share special messages. After the event, you simply place the completed pages in one of the guestbook album designs and enjoy!

I’ve been giving GuestBook Store guestbooks as wedding and shower gifts for years. I first saw them when my sister- and brother-in-law got married (GuestBook Store is their company.) We all had so much fun completing the pages — it was a hit. The little blonde curls on the right are Darla’s.

Here’s a customer testimonial from the site: “This book is one of the most awesome and unique ideas I’ve seen. It was so much fun reading the pages when we got home from our honeymoon. My husband and I were cracking up at what people wrote as well as touched by their words of wisdom for us. I am so glad we did this, it is a hundred times better than a book where people just sign their names. Thank you so much!”

This giveaway is for a $75 gift certificate to GuestBookStore.com. This is more than enough for any guestbook offered on the site. To enter the contest, please visit the GuestBook Store website, and then come back here to leave a comment telling us the album cover design you’d like the best. You can participate even if you don’t have a blog. Just make sure you leave a working email when you leave your comment. I’ll choose the winner at random after 9 p.m. CST on Friday, April 25. Thanks for participating!

I host regular giveaways for parents and educators. Please consider signing up for updates by email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

Please check out our other current giveaways here and here.

For more awesome giveaways, be sure to check out Bloggy Giveaways!