I Don't Force My Kids to Share... & Why That's a GOOD Thing!

I recently stumbled across this article and loved it so much I just had to share it with you guys. 

------------->  Why I Don't Make My Son Share <---------------

You see, I do this too! Always have, and always will..... with every one of my kiddos. 

I'd go into detail about the million reasons why but she does such a good job at explaining it that I'm going to simply persuade you to hop on over to her lovely blog and read it for yourself.

But before you go let me back her up by saying this: IT WORKS! (I've got 4 kids of all age ranges to prove it) 

 It teaches patience, tolerance, how to cope when someone tells them "no", and respect for themselves & their belongings. While sharing is important- setting up personal boundaries is important too IMO. There is a time to share, and it doesn't hurt to ask your child if they WANT to share- but there is no reason you should force your child to share simply because another child wants something they have.

Oh- and before I let you go let me tell you how I teach this concept in my home:

We ASK if they WANT to share first. They are perfectly entitled to answer YES or NO. 

If said child's answer is no I teach the other child how to cope by saying something like the following:

"That's her toy and we have to respect that she has the right to decide who gets to play with it and when. You get to decide with your toys too. Let's find something else to play with or wait until she's ready to share."

or

"He was playing with that toy first and it would be rude to insist that he give it up simply because you want it. We have to respect other people's boundaries and belongings. Let's find another toy or wait until he's done playing with it." 

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Ok- now hop on over to her blog and read that article! It'll be worth your time. I promise!