If you have very young children or grandchildren, I have some ideas to share with you today that could make a real difference in their futures.

Let me begin by sharing something that I read just this morning that really got my attention. It was an article with this heading: “Reading Among Kids Plummets: Advancements and Ingenuity Helping Kids Love Reading Again.” It is no secret that a child who learns to read well at an early age has a leg up when it comes to making good grades, staying in school, graduating, going on to college and using the education they acquire to become a successful person. To be sure, becoming an excellent and avid reader is vital to achieving the good life.

It is here that I would like to tell you about a personal experience that may be helpful to you, especially if you have young children in school. After losing my mate, I remarried back in 2015. As you know, when you marry someone you also marry their family. Here I have been truly blessed. My wife Janis has a grandson by the name of Kaleb Mack, and he and his wife Kristiana have four children. I truly love all of these children, but the oldest daughter Mary Katherine and I hit it off when she was 4 years of age. When they came to visit us, I would read to her. This would continue for the next several years, and her mother would read to her all the time at home.

Well, now she is in the fourth grade. During a visit a short time ago, I asked her to read to me. I could not believe the large words she was pronouncing and how smoothly it went. At this point I asked her what her reading level was. She said, “I read at the high school level.” To be sure, this young lady has a very bright future because she is a reader, and this will enable her to make good grades, stay in school, dream big dreams, and become anything she wants to become. This process took some time and a little extra effort, but now the rewards are more than worth it.

At this point let me say that I could have quoted statistics all day long, but this true-life experience hits close to home. We are all busy people but knowing the rewards for a precious child that we are responsible for can inspire us to make the effort, buy a few good children’s books, and take a little time each day to read to them.

Here I would caution you to only buy books that are not only at the appropriate reading level, but the content has character values that reinforce what you are wanting to teach them. I might also add that the Bible is part of this reading regimen.

For me personally, fate has a way of taking care of you, even when you don’t know enough to take care of yourself. After taking the Dale Carnegie Course and my instructor inviting me to go into business with him, I started working with our schools. To God be the glory!

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)