I WAS NEVER MUCH OF A READER GROWING UP, UNTIL I READ A BOOK THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME. 

Today’s episode is all about the value of good literature, literature that teaches lessons to our kids that will help raise them up in leadership, so that the job isn’t all on us alone. Today, we are talking about the power of introducing our children to concepts and lessons through powerful stories, stories that many of us have probably read over the years and why it’s so critical to get this in the hands of our children.

Let’s raise them up right!

IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER:

[1:56] The Book That Changed Everything

I was a busy kid. I liked being outside, playing with my cousins, riding bikes, climbing trees…and the concept of reading books meant that I had to sit still, so I always struggled with it. That is until my grandfather put a book in my hands that changed the way I looked at the world and definitely how I looked at the power of good literature. That book was To Kill a Mockingbird. 

I assumed it was going to be yet another story that I skimmed through and eventually found the Cliff Notes on. But as I flipped through the pages, I became more and more immersed in the story, the characters and the lessons that I was learning. That book changed the lens through which I view the world. I didn’t want to live an average life where I turned a blind eye to the injustice that was going on or where I didn’t do everything I could to open up seats at the table for people of all walks of life. 

There was something so inspiring about that story that changed the way I looked at reading as a whole, because it introduced me to how I could change my heart through the power of a great book.

[3:16]  They Are Still Open to New Ideas 

“Adults are locked into car payments and divorce and work. They haven’t got time to think fresh. Name the book that made the big impression on you, I bet you read it before you hit puberty. In the time that I got left, I intend to write artistic books for kids because they’re still open to new ideas.” This is what Gary Paulsen, the author of over 200 books, said before he recently passed away at the age of 82.

This was the quote that got me thinking about the book that made the biggest impact on me and that’s where I flashed back to To Kill a Mockingbird. But, it also got me thinking – how am I intentionally introducing rich literature to my children?

These books, the discussions around the lessons within the books are shaping our kids, and we can’t depend on someone else, whether it’s a school or the latest popular book series, to shape the messages sent to our sponge-like children. I know it seems maybe a little dramatic, but these are the little battles that do add up and we have to fight to protect them at those early stages.

[6:58] What If They Fell In Love with The Stories 

I want to integrate wisdom, moral strength, confidence and values into their lives and this is a simple but tangible way to do that. A way that allows us to release all of the control of having to tell them all the things we want them to know. What if they fell in love with the stories and the characters who helped them understand those things?

[8:18] The Spark

Through these books, through this literature, through these stories they’ll start to identify who they are and who they’re not, who they want to become, who they have yet to become.

Make sure to get our free Spark guide at https://luminaryleadershipco.com/spark/ that’s going to help you notice these little interests, little sparks in your children and then brainstorm and document ways to cultivate those passions. 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Grab your free Spark guide: Raising Luminaries Spark
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