From the time we’re old enough to understand the concept, our parents, teachers, responsible adults encourage and sometimes even require us to share our toys. But in a recent Facebook post, one mother, Alanya Kolberg, says that her son is not required to share with your children.
When I first read it, I thought ‘Daaaang. That’s cold.’ But then I read her story…
And I absolutely get it.
Her point about the sandwich really nailed it home for me. Sharing as an adult is almost always completely optional. Furthermore, the act of being kind and generous kind of loses its validity when it’s mandated. While sharing is generally a kind thing to do, children also need to learn about autonomy, to know that they don’t have to share their toys, food or anything else with people they don’t want to.
Furthermore, as Kolberg points out, there are far too many adults who overextend themselves because we’ve been conditioned, from childhood to be more accommodating than we should be.
Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of “Bettah Days.” You can follow her on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter @VDubShrug.
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