My eldest is now a dozen years old. Not quite teenager, but not really “child” either. When I think about my hopes and dreams for her, I often think about a song from Faith Hill’s Fireflies album. My daughter and I first listened to this song on our trip to Mackinac Island two years ago (and that’s where I took the photo in the header.)

Here are two verses from the song, “Wish for You”:

A setting sun that paints a tie-dyed sky
A feather bed, an ancient lullaby

Cotton candy clouds against the blue
That’s the kind of day I wish for you.

Happy Birthday, 12 Year Old.

More than a year ago, I wrote a post about my daughter entitled, A Teacher in the Making.

At this point in life, Darla sees that as her life’s calling — a third-grade teacher, to be exact. But as she hits her stride, it occurs to me she couldn’t possibly know what she will be - nor can the rest of us.

Last month, my 11-year-old daughter joined me on my book tour. She spoke with me at our regional teacher’s convention. I discussed the major points of my book, and Darla offered the perfect illustration to Empowering Youth, by explaining and showing photos about her neighborhood book club project, BookWorm Wednesday. And this week she’ll do it again - this time at the national Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth conference in Minneapolis.

Surely she can become a teacher - she’d do well in this profession. Clearly she could be a speaker too. I’m filled with awe as I watch my self-possessed almost-12-year-old daughter speak with authority about something she knows better than anyone in the universe. She answers the audience questions with ease and never appears nervous in front of adults.

Truthfully, she could become anything. She’s mentioned other career considerations recently too - broadcaster, internet-based business owner, state superintendent of schools (she met Wisconsin’s) - even governor. In this country, at this time, into the situation she was born, with her valuable set of strengths, her life is a book she gets to write.

I look forward to reading it.

Other Torch-Passers:
As Kids Go, So Goes the Nation - Washington Post article on “kid vote”
Girl Power Empowering Girls - 16-year-old Peace Activist

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

P.S. VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Heather” PSA from First Star - www.firststar.org

I interviewed 14-year-old Heather Wilder in the course of writing my book. She is an inspiring young woman, former foster child, and now an advocate for child’s rights.

Please watch this short public service announcement - it will change your perspective about the rights of youth in our country.

Other Torch-Passers:
Mommysecrets - Thoughtful Family Project

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

Our family had so much fun letterboxing this year, we thought we should place one for other families to enjoy as well. So while spending time in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, we found the perfect spot and hid our family’s first letterbox.

Directions:
1. Take Hwy 8 to everyone’s favorite ice cream shop. Order a Blizzard (optional.)
2. Continue on Hwy 8 a bit farther to the East and turn left (North) at the liquidation store.
3. Go north on this road (Tamarack to Canon Road to County Line) for approximately 1 1/2 miles. You’ll pass a sign that says “Enjoy our Wildflowers” and you’ll make a few sharp turns. First left, then right, and the rustic road snakes through the trees.
4. You’ll see Skinaway Lake on your left and come to a public boat launch. Park.
5. Start at the boat launch sign and begin walking forward. You’ll see the launch on the left, but keep walking straight.
6. Continue walking until you nearly run into swamp. Look to your left.
7. There will be an old dead tree with a convenient spot for a letterbox, in it’s rotted-out trunk.

Once you find this one, you may as well find the next letterbox as well!

1. Continue on county line road for another quarter mile until you see a sign for Skinaway Park.
2. Go all the way along the curved driveway to the clearing with the pavilion.

3. Pass the pavilion and signs and follow the pathway up and to the left.
4. At the fork in the path take a left and walk to the bottom of the hill, almost to the swamp.

5. Look to your left, for an out-of-place piece of bark. Under it you’ll find a letterbox in a hole.

Please let us know if you find them!

Letterboxing series:

Letterboxing in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin
Letterboxing in Mankato, Minnesota

Other Torch-Passers:
Powerful First Star PSA featuring 14-year-old Heather Wilder, former foster child and advocate for the rights of children.

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday.Former PTT posts.

Last week I attended teacher’s convention for two days, a regional conference for educators in our half of the state. My daughter accompanied me for part of the conference, speaking with me at learning sessions. I talked about my book, and she about BookWorm Wednesday — possibly the best illustration of youth empowerment I could ask for.

While we were busy conferencing, my nine-year-old son spent time with Grandma - something she’d claim she doesn’t get to do nearly enough. My mom raised me as a single parent, and she was thankful I was born a girl, since she has always had the feeling she didn’t have much to offer to boys. Knowing this, I wondered what they’d do together - Grandma and her strong Y-chromosome grandson. How would they spend their day?

They spent most of one morning finding deals at garage sales. They had lunch at Old Country Buffet, where he could pick out whatever he wanted to eat. She listened to him give her a report on a book he’d read (book review to publish here next month) and paid him a $2 bill for doing it. They worked together outside on an unseasonably warm fall day, and she hired him to help her spread dirt and clean out her garden.

And each day when I returned to her house after the conference, they were perched at the dining room table playing double-solitaire. They could hardly pull their attention away long enough to say, “Hello.”

My mom is an efficient, productive, hard-working woman. She has been all her life. The time she spent with my son both honored and celebrated the work, while embracing the play as well. And the small, seemingly insignificant moments they spent together helped to build a relationship.

I can’t count the inter-generational lessons he learned during those two days — about frugality, work ethic, and the importance of reading. And he learned these things without her needing to necessarily say anything - it was their actions together that taught the lessons, as well as her genuine interest in listening to everything he had to say.

For “knowing nothing about boys,” it seems to me she’s figured it out. Craig thought the whole visit was awesome. And he told me, “Next time she says she wants me to teach her how to play 500.”

Grandma rocks.

Other Torch-Passers
How Much do You Tell Your Kids About the Financial Crisis?
Youth Ministers Meet to Decide Future of European Youth Policy

What does passing the torch mean to you? Is it teaching? Passing traditions? Doing the right thing? Or good news about youth? Join us each week for Pass the Torch Tuesday. Former PTT posts.