Ever since I learned how to read, I have been picking up books and reading. I learned early on that the characters in my book could have much more fun than I could and that meant their lives were more interesting and I could get lost in the pages. Every word that I read seemed to pull me deeper into the backbone of the book, and I would normally fall asleep still dreaming of what would happen next.

I really didn’t know how important reading was until we were forced to do it in class and every other living moment that we had. At that moment, I started noticing that I was one of those kids who liked to read but there were many more who couldn’t stand it. I never really understood why they found reading so difficult. Till this day I still don’t know why someone would not want to get lost in the pages of a good book and someone else’s story.

I do know that reading is part of every day life, and that makes it an important subject to make sure your kids are interested in. If you start early enough with a child, then you can make reading fun and that can create a lifetime love for books.

School is just around the corner, and many of the kids who are going into kindergarten and first grade are going to need a little extra push from their parents to get in the groove of reading and writing. This is the best time to make a good impression on your child and teach them what it takes to make reading fun.

Today it is so easy to get lost in the technology that we have with machines that can read to us, television and other ways of getting information without reading.

More than 90 percent of the jobs offered today require a person to read, and you reading with your child can make the difference in how far your child goes in life.

The next time you are thinking about a way you can make life better for your son or daughter, remember a little thing called reading. It can change everything for your child.

Note: Ashley McCartney is a news writer for The Clanton Advertiser. Her lifestyle column appears on Sundays.