Girls' Trip - How 3 Generations Connect Over Books

Biggest Takeaways:

Recently, I went on an unusual girls’ trip. It was four-day journey from Texas to Missouri, and what made it different were the people I was with. My 89-year-old Granny, my 71-year-old Mom, my 44-year-old sister and I make the trek to visit my 60-year-old aunt in Kansas City.

Now, if you know me at all, you know that reading is one of my passions – it’s literally the thing I’d choose to do all day, every day, if I could. Who needs to eat or sleep, right?  I came by my love of reading honestly – I come from a family of readers. It’s something that my Mom cultivated in my siblings (Amanda & Aaron) and me.

It’s something that’s part of my extended family too, and on our girls’ trip I was able to sit down to talk about how it’s a big part of our family identity. The five of us sat around a table, all 3 generations of us, and discussed reading – how our love for it started, the books we remember from our childhoods, and why reading is still important to us.

As our conversation wove back and forth, we touched on things like:

the teachers who impacted our reading

my crazy obsession with reading as a kid

the way my Granny has trouble memorizing Scriptures

our favorites among the books we’ve shared and recommended to each other.

Our talk came at the end of a girls’ trip that was full of reminiscing, good food, and lots of laughter. Our time together was a gift, and I’m so glad we were able to make it happen.

Feeling a part of this bigger whole was powerful. Connecting across the generations through books made me feel like a small part of something bigger – and that was powerful.

I’d love for you and your teen to have that too.

So, I’m curious – what kind of reading heritage do you have? How do you show your teens how to connect with the generations ahead of and behind them? I encourage you to talk to your teens about what reading looked like for you as a kid. Share which teacher influenced your reading the most, and what your all-time favorite book was. Maybe your family doesn’t have a shared history of reading together, but you want to change that legacy – tell your teens about that too.

As always, I would love love love to hear about those conversations! You can find me on Facebook  or Instagram, or leave a comment below. 

Referenced in this Episode

Mitford Series by Jan Karon

Miss Julia Series by Ann B. Ross

Debbie Macomber Books

Bible App

Kansas City Library

Erin Condren Notebook