K - I found this article quite interesting. What people commonly define as being spoilt I would probably be guilty of when it came to my own children in that everything I own is theirs and I make them know this...just a trip to Sainsbury's to buy groceries I have to bring something back especially for them....everyday is their birthday and everyday is Christmas where they get even more on their birthday and Christmas.

Everything I didn't have as a child growing up I made sure if my children went without it wasn't because I couldn't afford it where the natural thing to do there is to preach to them about not being greedy and scapegoating the starving in Africa as a means of disguising my own failures.

But it has always been my philosophy that freedom is only as free as the discipline that goes with managing that freedom. This philosophy went hand in hand with 'spoiling' my children, they aint spoiled, they're my boys, they can have anything as long as they accept the discipline that goes with it.

An example of the discipline was where I was just teaching my eldest son that every year he must give away his excess toys and clothes to children less privileged than him. I wanted this to be ingrained in all my children and specifically donating to those starving in Africa but alas the mother had her own ideas

Also tried very hard to ensure my children didn't tell me lies or as I put it there is nothing they can break or no wrong they can do that is bigger than telling me lies. This was especially important because when the system and racist teachers are ready to sell them out I'm the only one who has their back, if they lie to me then I won't be able to defend them.