Will your child soon be experiencing a “rite of passage”? This month’s Positively Speaking column will give you some ideas for writing a contract with him or her, to guide expectations and behavior. Please read my column at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Would you like Pass the Torch updates? Just sign up for them via email or feed. I will never spam you or give out your address.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

The second meal our kids cooked for us required a little help, which Uncle Bill gladly provided. Cajun shrimp with Parmesan asparagus. YUM!

“You cut the asparagus where it naturally breaks…”

And here Craig is dicing apples for his signature apple/Cool Whip/Snickers salad (which, of course, isn’t salad at all:)

How do you spell, “AWESOME?”

Marco Island Series:
Marco Island Views
Kids as Cooks
Kids as Cooks Part II
Shelling 101
Key West Express

Florida Series:
Disney World
Sanibel Island
Fort Myers
Everglades

Affordable Family Travel Series:

Creativity and Flexibility
Renting Condos and Timeshares

During this winter’s Florida vacation, we decided it was time for the kids to start cooking some of our meals. We tend to eat pretty well on vacation because we stay in a condo and have access to a full kitchen. Why not teach the kids about cooking while we have some spare time!

The first meal they tackled together was supposed to be kabobs until we found out we didn’t have a grill. So it turned into sauteed steak strips and farm-fresh peppers and mushrooms. Yum!

Cutting the vegetables…

Sauteeing the steak…

Mmmm-Mmmmm Good!

Marco Island Series:
Marco Island Views
Kids as Cooks
Kids as Cooks Part II
Shelling 101
Key West Express

Florida Series:
Disney World
Sanibel Island
Fort Myers
Everglades

Affordable Family Travel Series:

Creativity and Flexibility
Renting Condos and Timeshares

My daughter turned 13 last week and one of the many rites of passage that comes with teenager-hood, is the legal ability to open a Facebook account.

While I have many concerns about this as a parent, I also know that for the next several years I will have significantly more influence over my daughter than I will for the rest of her life after she graduates. And it occurs to me that it’s better to empower her to make good choices while on the Internet, than to ban her from those potentially dangerous opportunities. Since I wrote a book about youth empowerment, I suppose it would also be hypocritical to block her access to avenues, like Facebook, when done in the right way, its use can be a positive way to network and build relationships.

So I’ve written a contract for my new teenager, with guidance from a lot of my Facebook friends who have already established boundaries for their kids, or have thought about the guidelines they would use.

FACEBOOK (FB) GUIDELINES

I agree to abide by the Facebook guidelines above, and include parents in addressing FB concerns. All terms subject to change by mutual agreement. I understand that if I do not follow them, my Facebook privileges will be suspended.

Do you have any other suggestions? I hope this helps other parents out there who want to empower their teenagers to use Facebook in a positive way – please link to this post and share with all who might benefit!

The National Service Agency recently announced funding to engage students in service-learning and this could be a great opportunity to start research-based middle school programs, like SPARK Peer Tutoring. The grant funding totals $1 million dollars and will support innovative summer-time service-learning programs for students grades 6 through 9. GRANT PROPOSAL IS DUE DECEMBER 10.

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced the 2010 Learn and Serve America “Summer of Service” grants competition, implementing a new program authorized under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

“These grants are geared to funding programs that will ignite the spark of civic engagement in students at a critical point in their lives,” said Nicola Goren, acting CEO of the Corporation. “Getting involved in service at a young age will start students on a path toward life-long service while at the same time, they address pressing needs in their own communities.”

According to the the press release, the Corporation anticipates awarding five to seven grants to support collaborative efforts to implement community-based service-learning projects during the summer months. To qualify for funding, projects will have to provide students with service-learning experiences that address environmental or disaster preparedness issues relevant to the community served and teach or reinforce academic, civic and leadership development for participants.

Participants must complete at least 100 hours of service through the summer program and are eligible to receive a $500 education award in return for their service that can be used to pay for post-secondary education expenses. .

Eligible applicants include state education agencies, state service commissions, U.S. territories, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, public or private nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, public or private elementary or secondary schools, local education agencies, and consortia of such entities.

For more information, please visit Learn and Serve America. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. EST, December 10.