Vance Fry has a writing opportunity! If interested, please send your submission to vance.fry@fotf.org. If not, just delete this e-mail.

Word Count: 75 to 300 words
Article type: A first-person, true-life, parenting experience
Rights: First nonexclusive rights
Payment: $50-$125 on acceptance, depending on edited length but more importantly the uniqueness and appropriateness for another family to do.
Due date: In the next week or two, but I will continue to read submissions into the future. We are always needing these Family Stages articles.

Topics on parenting school-age children:

#1. Has your child been disappointed when something they prayed for didn’t come to pass? A rained-out baseball game, a gift that they never received, a test they didn’t pass—I’m interested in hearing a story of mild disappointment in God, and how you parented through that moment.

#2. How to you parent through the culture of indulgence that the American Christmas has become? I’m interested in short stories of how you redirected your children away from the cultural of gifts to a sweeter encounter with the reason for the season.

#3. Have a picky eater? Tell me a story about something you did to help your child try new foods, or at least continue to eat the ones you put on the table.

#4. Are you a heavy blogger or Facebooker? Share a lot of pictures of your family, comments from your kids? Have you begun to wonder if it’s too much? Our kids are getting old enough now where they might not be comfortable with the amount of 2nd person social-networking that we do for them. Have you done anything to dial back the global publication of your family’s inner workings?

#5. Others? Have a great parenting story with advice that another family could use. We’d love to hear it!

#6. I’m also looking for a fun little faith activity that you can do with children to understand the concept of the body of Christ, specifically the idea that we need others, and others need us. It would be about 200 words. We pay 75 for these faith activities. Click through the faith activities at thrivingfamily.com for examples. http://www.thrivingfamily.com/family/Faith.aspx

Thank you!
Vance Fry
Associate Editor, Thriving Family magazine
Focus on the Family