First SMBC Book Club meeting

On the first Saturday of November, the children of Single Mums by Choice Lëtzebuerg (SMBC Lëtzebuerg) gathered for our very first book club meeting: a joyful start to what we hope will become a cherished monthly tradition. The goal of this new initiative is to create a welcoming space where our children can explore stories that reflect the diversity of modern families, while also enjoying creative time together through reading and crafts.

For our first session, we read “Wir sind Familie”, a picture book that celebrates the many different ways a family can look and be. Through its colorful pages and gentle storytelling, the book helped the children see that every family, whether large or small, with one parent or many, is bound by love and care. The story opened up conversations and plenty of curiosity among the little readers.

After the reading, the children were invited to draw pictures of their own families. The results were vibrant drawings showing all the people and things that make each child’s family special. The children felt comfortable expressing themselves and even drew more difficult events of their everyday life (e.g. being hurt). The craft activity gave everyone a chance to express their sense of belonging and pride in their unique family structure, while also seeing the beauty in others’ stories.

One mum said “I found it so nice! My son usually blocks off conversations about families; it was nice to see him be more open to the topic at the book club. It is so important that he gets to see other family constellations than the ones that are around him most in everyday life. Even for myself it is important to be here and exchange with mums in the same situation.”

Our broader aim with the SMBC Lëtzebuerg Book Club is to build a small library of books that reflect the realities and values of our community. We are working to collect titles that explore topics relevant to our children — diversity, belonging, kindness, identity, and, of course, family — in the main languages spoken in Luxembourg: English, French, and German. Having a multilingual library will allow us to adapt each session to the children attending and make the activities accessible and engaging for everyone.

The book club will continue to meet on the first Saturday of every month, each time exploring a new book and craft theme. To join us, members can register through the Activities tab on our website. We also have a WhatsApp group where participants can confirm attendance and share details about the location and other practical information.

Our first meeting was a lovely success and we’re already looking forward to the next one!