How To Teach Sharing

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Man. Debates in the world of parenthood have become so rampant that even a concept as simple as sharing is now constantly being debated. I see both sides of the argument. On the one hand I consider sharing to be a social skill. It teaches putting others before ourselves. On the other, I see how being made to give someone something just because they want it can reinforce the entitlement mindset so common in our culture. I've thought a good bit on both perspectives and have come to a place of common ground that works best for my family and fits best with my personal values. In our house: we share. However, this sharing has stipulations attached: First: The child who is wishing to play with the item another child is playing with must ask kindly . Kid 1 has a toy that Kid 2 wants. Kid 2 must nicely ask Kid 1 "can I play with the toy?" Second: Not only must they ask kindly (no snatching!) but they must also add the phase " when you are finished " to th...