Have you ever noticed that more and more parents seem to be spoiling their children?

But according to Naomi Schaefer Riley, there is one area in which parents should be encouraged to spoil their children. That area is books.

As Riley implies, good parenting so often involves saying “no” to the demands and desires of children. But by regularly saying “yes” to books, Riley has been able to build her children’s love and interest in a good thing and also encourage family cohesiveness:

“At first it was a book here or there. But now I order at least one a week for my 7-year-old and 9-year-old. I order somewhat less frequently for my 3-year-old, but I expect that’ll change soon.

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Some are used. But many are new. And thanks to Amazon Prime, they arrive in two days — sometimes less.

There’s nothing like a package waiting for them on the doorstep to get kids excited. My daughter had a Kindle, and downloading a new book just didn’t have the same effect. In an era when most of our communication is done online, having something real arrive by mail with your name on it is a special experience.

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When a book arrives, they rip open the packaging, feel the cover, study the illustrations, read the description and then run off with it, so their siblings won’t be able to get a hold of it.”

Although Riley doesn’t mention it, “spoiling” children with the right books can actually aid parents in raising well-disciplined and virtuous children. As William Kilpatrick notes in Books that Build Character, “stories provide a wealth of good examples – the kind of examples that are often missing from a child’s day-to-day environment.” They also “familiarize youngsters with the codes of conduct they need to know.”

Interested in “spoiling” your children in a good way, but unsure of which books to choose? Why not check out Books that Build Character or Books Children Love? Each book is filled with age-appropriate descriptions of reading material which will both interest your children and support you in your quest to responsibly raise the next generation.

Image Credit: Erik Schepers (cropped) bit.ly/1eBd9Ks