Paris, Prince and Bigi Jackson stood outside a massive toy store. The colorful windows of FAO Schwarz were completely packed with bright games and beautiful stuffed animals. Prince Jackson and his young siblings desperately wanted to fill their arms with toys and gifts. They looked up at their father with big pleading eyes. Michael Jackson shook his head softly and smiled.
The global superstar quietly enforced a very shocking household rule. He refused to buy his sweet children a single luxury item for free. Stacks of large books towered around the children inside their famous home instead. If they wanted five fun toys from the store, they had to read five full books first. There was absolutely no way around it.
Michael Jackson reading a book to his children
Michael wanted to make sure his kids did not just skim through the pages quickly. Night after night, he turned their reading time into a sacred family ritual. He sat them down at the table, and personally grilled them with very tough questions. He demanded total mastery of every single story they finished.
He gave them intense, and comprehensive quizzes before handing over any fun rewards. The King of Pop was deeply obsessed with literature himself. He owned a massive personal library, filled with over ten thousand books. He firmly believed that true wealth was built inside a bright mind, and not inside a bank account.
Many people wondered why a billionaire father would impose such strict rules on his family. Michael frequently reminded his kids about his own difficult youth. His childhood was entirely consumed by brutal studio hours, and endless dance rehearsals. He completely missed out on the pure joy of a normal, relaxed upbringing.
He wanted his kids to experience the exciting magic of earning a reward. He combined that joy with the strong academic structure he never had as a child. He also wanted to combat entitlement completely. Living inside a giant fantasy ranch surrounded by endless luxury made it very easy to become spoiled.
20 Unique Parenting Rules Michael Jackson Made His Kids Follow
He strictly limited outside media exposure and electrical devices to shield his kids from the paparazzi. Turning reading into a high stakes game kept his children focused inward on self-improvement. Paris Jackson famously devoured the entire book series in a single week just to keep up with her father.
True success and intelligence are things you must always work hard to achieve. No amount of money can ever buy a bright and creative mind. You have the ultimate power to read, learn, and successfully build your own magic every single day.