Three Important Books My Kids Should Read

This article is very similar to the party question “If you could only meet three people…” but infinitely more important.

As Incredible Dads, we all want to impart the wisdom we’ve gained from our mistakes, life experiences and learnings to make our childrens’ lives easier.

So what 3 books would you absolutely want your kids to read (at some point in their lives) to help them be happier/live better/etc.?  Obviously, this list will change as you continue to grow but for what its worth, here are the 3 books that I would want Book Boy and Ballet Girl to read.

Before I get to the three books, I’d like to point out a couple of things.  First, this article was much harder to write than I originally imagined.  Second, there were a lot of books that were left off; so much so that I considered making this the ‘10 most important books’… but to honour the site’s mantra (Cheat Sheets for Busy Dads), 10 seemed a bit much.  So, enough preamble, let’s get to the books!

1.    “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

This book is about helping my kids accomplish more in life.  “Getting Things Done” by David Allen was a close runner up but 7 Habits encompasses more than just efficiency and effectiveness.  It speaks to how to live a complete life and have strong relationships.  How to get things done and ensure that the ‘right’ things get done.  This book gets better every time I read it and different parts become more relevant or take on new meaning depending on my current life situation (so kids, don’t just read it once).

2.   “Conversations With God, Book 1″ by Neale Donald Walsh

This book is about helping my kids find their spirituality.   Three other books were in contention (The Shack, The Four Agreements, The Power of Now) but for my journey, it was CWG that started me on my current path (of which I am very happy with) and the one I’m most comfortable recommending.  Many may be shocked as CWG’s message doesn’t necessarily agree with most traditional organized religions’ teachings but I’ve personally found a way to reconcile my faith with my spirituality and my hope is that my kids can do the same and find joy and peace in their relationship with God.

3.  “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

This was the hardest one.  Do I go for a Fantasy/Sci-Fi book (i.e. Dragonlance Chronicles, my first real fantasy book, so my huge collection doesn’t get donated to GoodWill as soon as I’ve punched my ticket) or do I go for a book that will always remind them that they’re loved (a la “Love You Forever by Robert Munsch)?  In the end, the pragmatist in me won out (which seems right as it closely matches my personality).  “Think and Grow Rich”  is to remind my kids that anything is possible, to never give up on their dreams and to inspire them to always aim higher and reach further (while giving them a starting blueprint for them to consider following).

So there you have it, my three books.  What other books are YOU going to suggest that your kids read?  Share your Top 3 list (via the Comments Section below) and continue creating a knowledge legacy for your children.

Image : “Story Time”, Allan Grant, 1964 from Life Photo Collection

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