One contributor said recently, "I've wished the Sentinel had more children's articles, and then it occurred to me that I should contribute one and not complain. ... I hope you can use the enclosed." Another grateful author wrote, "As a single parent I have really come to rely on these wonderful periodicals coming into our home."
And from a Sunday School teacher: "I find so many lovely ideas in these [children's] articles which I can utilize when teaching the little ones (2-4 years), that I felt I should like to make a contribution, and it is with this wish that I offer the enclosed."
There's always a need for children's articles that express simplicity, honesty, and spiritual intuition. Youngsters do want to know about real people— children like themselves who have had to cope with ordinary questions and hard problems. Even children in elementary school have to make crucial decisions on their own today— like learning to say "NO" to drugs, resisting pressures to tell lies, choosing what to do with their free time. So young readers want to know if prayer can help, if God really is close, and if His power is at work in the often scary times they live in.
Articles need to be written not just about children but for them, which means writing from the point of view of the child in a story and making use of contemporary language, situations, and reference points. How can bad habits like stealing and bullying be healed? If their parents fight, and divorce, can the children's prayers help? Jealousy, fear of getting beaten up, feeling hopeless about the future, moving, troubles with schoolwork, are things that do concern children. And yet they want to be shown how spiritual facts are practical, confirming their own innocence as God's ideas.
This may seem like a tall order for an article under 1,000 words! Obviously, simply telling a story, no matter how interesting or inspiring, isn't quite enough. The events by themselves don't necessarily help another child see the spiritual truths that also apply to his or her problems. What does help is an article that tells how the child prayed, including such things as what he or she knows about God and about man's true nature as God's child, and something of what has been learned from the healings and teachings of Christ Jesus.
We realize that a child's specific prayers are often quite simple and are briefly told in an article. But the truths of God and man that a child learns in Sunday School and at home are a foundation for those prayers and can be a valuable part of an article. It may be that a Sunday School lesson that meant a lot, a favorite Bible story, a hymn, or a passage from Science and Health can help in telling about this foundation.
Metaphysics, the truths about ourselves and God that we learn in Christian Science, is the heart of a healing article for children. It's these truths that need to be underlined in thought—simply, and in a way that's appropriate and appealing to young readers.
Childhood is an important time, and these Sentinel articles are unique in the help they give. When a child reads of (or listens to) other children's healing prayers, it can help give a context for his or her own prayers or unspoken search for Truth. A child can see that it's important how we think, that prayer makes a difference, and that God heals.
If you think you have something useful to share, we'd be happy to have an article from you. And if you'd like a copy of our guide to writing for children and young people, you can write to The Christian Science Publishing Society; Journal, Sentinel, and Herald Editorial department, P-602; One Norway Street; Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115.
