Parenting Tip of the Week: Sharing

It takes time for children to develop the skill of

sharing.

Children go through five stages.

Everything is “mine.” this stage usually begins at or around age 2.

Children then progress to the following 5 stages:

1. “Not mine” is different from mine.
2. “Not mine” things have owners.
3. Owners may lend items. This is a big step, children need an understanding of time—taking turns, “now” and “never and that the owner of a toy may choose to lend it to her temporarily.
4. “Ours” is joint ownership. At this point, true sharing can really happen. Two siblings can have joint ownership of a common item, say, a go-cart, and understand how to share it fairly.