Books as a legacy: passing on a passion for reading to my daughters

Because it's a huge advantage in life! Empathy, imagination, mental health, openness to the world, communication skills… People who love books and often dive into them nurture all of that, and more!

It's not rocket science: the recipe for our children to become readers is to read with them. From the time they're tiny, we introduce them to books and tell them stories every day. And as they grow, we keep doing it!

All young children love it. It's later that we sometimes lose them. After all, reading takes more effort than a video game, and unfortunately it happens that school has unintentionally smothered the joy of reading. So what do we do then? Well, we do what we did when they were little: we read aloud to them. You'll see, they'll like it!

Yes, it can sometimes be a challenge. I don't always feel like reading a story to my daughters either, but I know it's worth the effort a thousand times over. Sometimes the character voices are less awesome because I have less energy, but at least I'm there with a book in my hands.

I say that, but the vast majority of the time, I'm super happy to snuggle up with them to read to them. Because those are magical moments, the kind that leave their mark forever.

My older ones read on their own now. But every so often, they still ask me for a reading moment. We read a few pages of novels, tackle a choose-your-own-adventure book, reflect on a personal-growth book for teens… There's no wrong formula because it's their choice.

We make memories together; my presence shows them that I love them. It's their moment… and mine too, when you get down to it.

As a dad, you feel the need to protect your children, but you know you won't always be able to. By passing on the habit of reading, we give them the gift of refuges, tools and skills that will go with them everywhere, all the time.