Funny Business of Parenting: Sharing? Nope. It's mine, all mine!
A heap of disgruntled children piled high in the middle of the school field looks something like an NFL football tackle. This is not a good thing, particularly because they aren’t playing football.
Getting to the bottom of it is like trying to separate wriggling, sparring alligators. Shaking a bag of rocks and yelling, “free candy” gets the ball rolling. I mean this literally, because what they are likely fighting over is a ball, unless it is something even more interesting or important, like a twig.
When the sweating, panting little hellions are separated, a chorus rings out like a tender swan song: “It’s mine. It’s mine. It’s mine.”
Later, the group might fight over a pencil even though approximately 37 more of these treasured writing instruments are available to them about a foot away. Then, in broad daylight, a green eraser shaped like a pickle falls into the wrong hands when somebody “stole it.” Of course, said eraser did not actually belong to the sobbing theft victim, but that was beside the point because he “found it first.”
During an art activity, things can also get particularly sticky. This is because whoever invented glue sticks made them last just long enough so that at some point in time, there are only four that haven’t yet dried out. In other words, nine children and four glue sticks is not a good glue stick-to-human ratio.
Basically, on any given day in a setting where two or more children must commune, the phrase, “give it back” is typically heard approximately 65 times per minute. Oddly, other phrases such as, “you can have it” and “let’s take turns” don’t seem to be as popular.
Some children proudly live their truth, titled “Possession is 9/10ths of the Law,” with such steadfast loyalty that they gain adrenalin-induced superhuman strength to hold on to something. If this phenomenon occurs, it’s best to surrender and walk away to avoid bodily harm.
In the old days, when peace and quiet lasted longer than a kid could say, “he took my Lego,” a friendly willingness to share was more common. This is because children were forced against their true nature to be properly civilized. In fact, young folk were so well-behaved that parents and teachers literally napped due to boredom.
Yes, sharing can be tough, especially for the younger set, and we need to provide continued guidance at any age on when and how to do it. But if things get ugly, those gem stickers and glittery bouncing balls are all mine and you can’t have any.
Pam J. Hecht is a writer, instructor and mother of two (but not necessarily in that order). Reach her at pamjh8@gmail.com or pamjhecht.com.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Funny Business of Parenting: Sharing? Nope. It's mine, all mine!
