My Thoughts on Sharing

I'm so going to probably be blasted for this... but meh, I'm opinionated. After too many bunless cheeseburgers this evening, I was thinking about the Kid and some situations we've been in over the past couple of years. Namely, sharing.

Now, every weekday, the Kid is at daycare and he is expected to share the daycare toys. And while I'm sure he gets pissy about it, it's the law, and I support it. Probably explains why he hides his crap all the time when he is at home. To which I want to say to him "Dude, Hot Wheels are so not my thing. My Little Ponies? Yeah, you'd have to fight me."

At the playground, there is communal equipment and yes, the Kid is expected to share that as well. When he is on the swing and another kid is waiting, after a few more pushes, I turn to the waiting kid and say "your mom says you're adopted. Go talk to her about it." I joke, I joke. My German isn't nearly so fluent. But, yes, we make the Kid wait his turn on the slides and for other silly things.

What I am talking about in terms of sharing is his toys. When we are at the playground or just on a walk, the Kid has a carriageful of his toys. He likes to switch it up based on the situation; sand? Shovel and bucket. Concrete? Truck. He will play with his toy of choice and be as happy as a clam. Then a kid will come along and take something of his and he gets Joan Collins pissed and a little ghetto "Oh no you diiiin't". What usually happens is that the other parent will let their kid continue to play with the Kid's toy and the Kid gets more and more agitated and I get, well, pissed off. One parent once joked that my kid wasn't good at "sharing". Oh, I'm sorry, your child is amazing at grand theft! Congratulations! Now, before I get half a dozen hate letters, I know it is totally normal for kids to take stuff from other kids. Been there, have the scars. But what really irks me is the expectation that my kid should be a-ok with a stranger taking his stuff. I'm sorry, I don't agree.

Let's look at this from an adult perspective. I'm not using my phone, but my phone is visible and then some stranger comes along and takes it and starts playing Candy Crush (I don't play this but I know lovely people who do and have lost all they love in life. The stuff is terrifying. There are going to be PSA commercials soon. Mark my words.) Now, as an adult, I'm going to say "Hey! Dipshit! Give me back my phone! Da hell is wrong with you?" and then search for my hand sanitizer when I get my "stolen" phone back. And, in this case, no other adult is going to say to me "Geez Tova, sharing is caring."

So this is where my issue lies. Why is this such an important thing to teach kids?... I am not looking for a politicial discussion at all. But really, why does he have to share his toys? The Kid's already lost out on the tall gene and most likely the ability to play for the NFL, can he not just keep his toys? When the property is communal or he has a friend (enemy for life) over, then yes, he's got to share. But when he's out and about and his Hot Wheels get date raped? Yeah, I'm not going to be happy about it if the parents of the other kid don't step in. And before anyone can say I am raising an "indigo kid", I'm not. He knows between wrong and right, it's more if he actually chooses to acknowledge it.... please for the love of God, be a good boy.

And so that is my random Sunday rant. Honk if you think sharing is overrated... G'night!