Great expectations: Sharing

How would you feel if you were at a gathering and someone approached and said, ‘Cedric is admiring your watch [or briefcase or handbag or iPhone]; you need to let him have a turn wearing it’? What if a stranger or an acquaintance walked up to you as you parked your new car and asked if they could take it for a drive?

A child’s possessions can be as precious to them as our possessions are to us. Sharing involves giving away or relinquishing (either permanently or for a certain amount of time) something we want or need, not something we no longer need or want. Cultural and individual values differ, and some people are much more generous than others. It’s worth thinking about what, with whom and under what conditions you share. Might sharing be an area where we expect more of young children than we do of ourselves?