Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Teaching Kids to Share
Teach your kids to share at a young age. By implementing the basics about sharing with your three, five, and seven-year-old children, you are preparing them for a happier childhood. While kids don't initially feel like letting a sibling or a friend use their special toy, they quickly realize that sharing results in lots of fun. Besides, if kids don't learn to share at a young age, they're likely to grow into selfish adults. And selfish adults are no fun. You've heard the adage "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" right? So, keep it simple and teach your little angels to share right from the start.
Be a sharer yourself. By being willing to lend your own stuff to others, including your kids, they will emulate your actions. If your kid wants to borrow your colorful rainbow hat for part of her dress-up costume, you should say "Yes" even amidst a fair amount of apprehension. Now, it's alright to have conditions, such as, "You may use this if you take good care of it." Also, when you happen to get the last piece of chocolate cake in the fridge, it's likely that your spouse will ask for a bite. Again, here's an opportunity to say "Yes." Let your kids see that you're a giving person. Most people see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If you think of a kid who shares, you probably see that the parent does as well.
Sharing can be hard. But, we should force our kids to be sharers anyways. Though this sometimes causes awkwardness, you should put your kids into situations that are less than perfectly comfortable. This happened to me recently when I offered to let my son's best friend borrow one of his "Buddies" videos. My son responded, "But that's one of my new videos. I've only seen it once." I explained that it's one that his friend has really wanted to see. I added how we could easily get it back since this friend only lives four houses down from us. Though this wasn't easy for my son to handle at first, it gave me an opportunity to explain why we share things with the people we really care about. My son stretched his abilities that day, which was a good thing.
Sharing is practical. When one of my three kids gets a new pack of candy or gum, I ask them if they want their sibling to share with them the next time he or she gets a new pack of treats. The kids always seem to understand this concept and generously hand out a piece or two to their brother or sister. Though the temptation to be greedy arises, especially when it's the last piece of candy or gum, my kids generally like to share because they get to enjoy their treat with someone else. They realize that making someone else happy is a reward in itself and that the kindness will pay them back as well.
You can share all kinds of things. As mentioned earlier, you can share your gum, candy, or a toy, but there's so much more. We donate our kids' items to families with younger kids than ours. Whether it's an outgrown winter coat or a box of books, it just makes sense to bless someone we know who can use the well cared for items. One of the reasons we've been so moved to do this is because other families have blessed us along the way as well. We've been gifted with everything from our crib to shoes, toys, and blankets. Especially during this tough economy, you should think about the people in your own community who could use some of your gently used items. Generally, people are thankful and truly uplifted by the generosity.
Share your time. Sometimes, people don't even want your stuff. They just need a home-cooked meal because they've been really sick. Even more than a hot meal, some people long for a conversation about "whatever" or a card. Some of your acquaintances who need a loving reminder of their value are those who look like they have it all together. They're always racing, always busy with a loaded calendar, and weighed down with the newest techy gadgets. But they're lonely. What about a text message reminding her that you think she's great? You never know how far an e-card goes. It might even make someone's whole day.
Be a sharer yourself. By being willing to lend your own stuff to others, including your kids, they will emulate your actions. If your kid wants to borrow your colorful rainbow hat for part of her dress-up costume, you should say "Yes" even amidst a fair amount of apprehension. Now, it's alright to have conditions, such as, "You may use this if you take good care of it." Also, when you happen to get the last piece of chocolate cake in the fridge, it's likely that your spouse will ask for a bite. Again, here's an opportunity to say "Yes." Let your kids see that you're a giving person. Most people see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If you think of a kid who shares, you probably see that the parent does as well.
Sharing can be hard. But, we should force our kids to be sharers anyways. Though this sometimes causes awkwardness, you should put your kids into situations that are less than perfectly comfortable. This happened to me recently when I offered to let my son's best friend borrow one of his "Buddies" videos. My son responded, "But that's one of my new videos. I've only seen it once." I explained that it's one that his friend has really wanted to see. I added how we could easily get it back since this friend only lives four houses down from us. Though this wasn't easy for my son to handle at first, it gave me an opportunity to explain why we share things with the people we really care about. My son stretched his abilities that day, which was a good thing.
Sharing is practical. When one of my three kids gets a new pack of candy or gum, I ask them if they want their sibling to share with them the next time he or she gets a new pack of treats. The kids always seem to understand this concept and generously hand out a piece or two to their brother or sister. Though the temptation to be greedy arises, especially when it's the last piece of candy or gum, my kids generally like to share because they get to enjoy their treat with someone else. They realize that making someone else happy is a reward in itself and that the kindness will pay them back as well.
You can share all kinds of things. As mentioned earlier, you can share your gum, candy, or a toy, but there's so much more. We donate our kids' items to families with younger kids than ours. Whether it's an outgrown winter coat or a box of books, it just makes sense to bless someone we know who can use the well cared for items. One of the reasons we've been so moved to do this is because other families have blessed us along the way as well. We've been gifted with everything from our crib to shoes, toys, and blankets. Especially during this tough economy, you should think about the people in your own community who could use some of your gently used items. Generally, people are thankful and truly uplifted by the generosity.
Share your time. Sometimes, people don't even want your stuff. They just need a home-cooked meal because they've been really sick. Even more than a hot meal, some people long for a conversation about "whatever" or a card. Some of your acquaintances who need a loving reminder of their value are those who look like they have it all together. They're always racing, always busy with a loaded calendar, and weighed down with the newest techy gadgets. But they're lonely. What about a text message reminding her that you think she's great? You never know how far an e-card goes. It might even make someone's whole day.
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Great thoughts! Makes me so proud of Jakey and his sharing w/ his buddy Josh. Very cool. Keep writing out loud. I love it!!!! Dani
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