Troy has been extremely possessive lately, and reminds me a lot of the toddler’s rules of possession (modified).
Troy often says (or yells or whines), “it’s mine!” to Ella, me, his dad, or anyone else that he feels is threatening his ability to posses whatever he has.
I’ve been really struggling with trying to foster an environment for the kids in which they are better at sharing their things. I know they are only 2 and 3 (almost 4), but I don’t want them to be materialistic or selfish. I don’t want them to be so concerned with physical things. I want them to be willing to share their things with others. I want them to not melt down if a toy gets broken or lost. I want them to be easy going and flexible as they play with each other (as well as others), and to understand that it is important to share and take turns and exhibit selfless attitudes.
I know that I need to be correcting poor attitudes and poor behavior consistently now. I know there is no “trick” that will instantly turn my kids into kids who share with kindness. I know these characteristics aren’t something that just magically happen when they get to be a certain age. And, although I know that they won’t suddenly understand how to start sharing once they hit a certain age, I do know that their understanding of the concept of sharing will increase with age. Ella has proven that to me.
I also know that this task, although with most tasks in parenting, requires a lot of patience and perseverance. And don’t get me wrong. They do share. Sometimes. : )
