Abi Ray, editor-in-chief of Legacy Magazine, the beautifully curated semi-annual publication that tells the stories of military spouses in a unique and refreshing way, is also a mother of two. She said that definitely impacted the decision to launch Legacy Kids Magazine.
"As a mother of two [who] have known no other life, I've seen firsthand the mounting challenges that our military children face on a daily basis. While witnessing our girls advance in age and knowledge is exciting, it also comes with a sense of dread, as I know that, with each passing year and each passing deployment, comes a greater awareness of their father's absence and life-threatening career," Ray said. "Gone are the days where my daughters are satisfied with the response of, 'Daddy is on a work trip' or 'He'll be home soon.' My once generic and safe responses are now met with pleas of clarification and specification."
It's a feeling many military spouses understand. Parenting blogs and resources often stop about the time your child goes to first grade. For some reason, the advice and "what should I do about middle school" blog posts are missing. There's a giant hole in talking about the lonely stage of parenting that happens when your kids are school-aged and you're not making friends at the playground anymore.
That is a gap that both parents and children feel. Ray said she knew her concerns and questions about the next stage of parenting were common. Then, a Legacy Magazine subscriber reached out about creating a special edition to talk about those challenges.
"I knew it was an endeavor worth pursuing. If my 6-year-old daughter could comfort her crying younger sister by explaining that 'Daddy is protecting people in other countries like policemen protect us here,' that there was a breadth of wisdom to be gleaned from the greater military kids community," Ray said.
So, Legacy Kids Magazine was born. It centers around the idea that children want to invite others into their imaginative world; they're just waiting for the opportunity.
"We believe the project will cultivate a healthy outlet for kids to turn to, whether they are creating the content or immersing themselves in it. Publishing is a fantastic opportunity for military children to use their creative voices to empower, enlighten and uncover the truths about growing up in an unconventional lifestyle. Through courage, confidence and creativity, we anticipate this will create a community among our younger generations and a chance for us to observe and understand their world," Ray said.
Initially, Legacy Kids Magazine was conceived as a single, standalone issue. But Ray said that the community's excitement has them considering an annual production of Legacy Kids, in addition to the two Legacy Magazine editions produced each year.
The first issue, which Ray said is scheduled to be released late this summer -- physically and digitally -- is open for contributions.
Creativity is highly encouraged, and submissions are open to comics, jokes, riddles, recipes and craft projects, as well as traditional content. Writers, photographers, artists and designers -- both children and adults -- are encouraged to submit their work.
Details on submissions, as well as writing prompts, can be found here.
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--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.
