In my early forties, after working as a plumber for over twenty years, I changed careers and became a writer. I started out by writing what I knew – plumbing and home improvement articles. Before long I had established myself as a freelance writer, but I wasn’t satisfied with writing about only plumbing. I wanted to try something new. I never would have guessed that I would end up writing parenting articles.

My older son’s high school graduation changed things for me, although I didn’t realize it right away. After all the emotion of the graduation ceremony, I went home and put everything I was feeling down on paper. I wrote about the pain of sitting on the old wooden bleachers of the gymnasium, and about the pride and optimism on the faces of the graduates. I wrote about my own high school years, and the dreams I had for myself as I headed out into the world. Before long I had written what I considered to be a funny and touching essay.

When I began looking into parenting markets, I discovered that all the publications – at least the paying ones – were marketed toward and written by women. Even so, I decided to take a chance and send my story to Grown & Flown, which covers issues related to teenagers and young adults.

In my introduction letter, I mentioned my hesitation to submit because all the writers and editors were women. I didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Less than twenty-four hours later, I received a very nice acceptance email stating that they were pleased to receive work from a father’s point of view. For this essay that took me less than two hours to write, I was paid $50.

And so, I was off to the races. I became a regular contributor to Grown & Flown.  I sold an essay to Mamalode about the time my son’s seven-year-old friend slept over, lost a tooth, and tricked me into paying $5 for it. I wrote for Your Teen about my son’s dream of becoming a rapper. I wrote several pieces for Her View From Home, including one about how my younger son’s peanut allergy can make Halloween extra scary. Ripped Jeans and Bifocals became home to an essay I wrote about reading several parenting books while my wife was pregnant, only to quickly discover that you can’t learn parenting in a book.

There are paying parenting markets for all stages of childhood. Many pay around $50 for an essay, but some pay more. A few also pay by the number of views your piece gets on their website over a set period, often thirty days. You can make money from these markets, but unless you have a large following or online presence, it probably won’t be much.

An added bonus of writing for the parenting market is the amount of positive feedback you are likely to receive. Writing for a sports blog or a political magazine often brings out the social media warriors. Parenting markets are different, at least in my experience. I’ve received many comments and messages regarding my work, and every one of them has been positive and supportive. There’s a real sense of community in this genre.

You don’t need to be female to write for parenting sites. I’m proof of that. You don’t even need to be a parent. If you are a teacher, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or even a family friend with an interesting story to tell, give it a try. There are many parenting markets out there, and all it takes is one acceptance letter to set you on your way.

Additional Parenting Markets:

Focus on the Family Magazine – $50 for 50-300 words

On Parenting – Approximately $0.30 per word

Lies About Parenting – $50 per featured piece

Pregnant Chicken – $100 for a full guest post

A Fine Parent – $75 per article

Zift – $100 per article

Family Story – $100 for 600-1,200 words (People of color and/or LGBTQIA+ folks are especially encouraged to submit)

The Green Parent – $75 per 1,000 words

BIO: Gary Sprague lives with his family in Maine. His nonfiction has appeared in many publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and Writers Weekly, and his short fiction has appeared in over twenty literary publications. He is the author of several novels, including the Joe Walker series, which can be found at his Amazon Author Page. You can connect with him on Facebook and Instagram.
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