Money Moral Dilemma: Should we sign our child up to a free book scheme when we can afford books?

timehastoldme

On the website for the book charity, nowhere does it say the books are for disadvantaged kids, these books are for all kids to encourage a love of reading. Everyone of the same age gets the same book each month, so they can talk to their friends about it, have that in common with anyone else signed up. 

Sign them up! It's books, if you can pay it back with donations then that's lovely, but the main point is to get books into the hands of children and that's a good thing.

Dolly would want you to.

Marcon

timehastoldme said:

On the website for the book charity, nowhere does it say the books are for disadvantaged kids, these books are for all kids to encourage a love of reading. Everyone of the same age gets the same book each month, so they can talk to their friends about it, have that in common with anyone else signed up. 

Sign them up! It's books, if you can pay it back with donations then that's lovely, but the main point is to get books into the hands of children and that's a good thing.

Dolly would want you to.

Which as the person with this non-dilemma has already confirmed they can well afford to buy. 

Better idea: sign up with https://freekidsbooks.org/about/ where there are no physical books but you simply download. No extra cost to the charity, but you could still make a donation towards their running costs.

Whoever Dolly is, they don't seem to live in the real world where charities have limited resources...

Southendormargate

The phrase "Get a Life" springs to mind

primrose_penguin

I think you have virtually answered your own question. You obviously feel uncomfortable getting free books for your child when you can easily afford to buy them, or you would not have asked the forum. If the charity you are talking about is the one I think it is, from what I can gather books are offered free to every child up to the age of 5 who join the scheme. It would be something your child would look forward to receiving and cultivate a love of reading, but I think if you do sign up to the scheme it would be good to donate regularly to the charity concerned, then you would not be concerned about it. Why don't you give them a ring or email them?

frugalwin

I really think people should look up Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library before commenting. It’s AMAZING, our kids love the books, which teach them about caring for the environment, being accepting of different types of families, all sorts of great things. I read one to them this evening called “My Daddies”, which led to a conversation about the families of their friends.

It specifically says on our local authority website that it is not means tested and that every child is eligible. As it’s usually local authority funded, if you pay council tax you’re already contributing to the scheme, so do not feel any guilt about signing up. If you really want to donate the cost of the books it’s about £26 per year, but I’m not sure how you’d donate this to your local authority. You can donate directly to the Imagination Library, but this would essentially be paying them a second time for your books.

2702

No. Unless you pay for the books. Being rich obviously does not mean you have common sense.

gothvixen

You absolutely should not. I don't understand the mentality of anyone who thinks that would be acceptable. Children from well-off households don't need the charity, and are taking books away from those who will otherwise go without. Donating to them doesn't make it OK either. They aren't going to increase the allocation in your area, so a poor child still loses out. My sons of 28 & 29 are still traumatised by the poverty we lived through after their father died, having made no provision for them. Taking from charity when you don't need to is intolerably cruel and selfish.

bettyboo71

From a moral point of view, you shouldn't take resources that you don't need.
However, signing up might help the charity to demonstrate a need for their service, which in turn can help them to access funding or resources. Information on how they are funded will be on their website.
As others have said, you could make a donation if you can afford to. And in the unlikely situation that you can't donate directly to this charity, donate to somewhere that they support or work with - or to a similar project. 

joanne_g_2

The charity is for all children under 5 and that is what you have. The more children that get books the better. Normally big publishers supply these books. Put your child’s name down and don’t feel guilty. 

Gosportmum

Sign up to the scheme. Hopefully your child will look forward to their monthly book delivery and it will encourage their love of reading, develop their vocabulary as they talk about the book with you etc.
But make a regular financial donation to the book charity or another child focused one. When you child has outgrown their books, donate them too.