This is exactly how I feel about teaching two year olds to share. It is such a difficult concept, not only for them, but for me too. I totally understand 'typical' sharing. If kids come over to our house, yes indeed Hadley, they will be playing with your toys...so deal. And if you have skittles, or M&M's, or any other food item that is coveted by others...then you gotta ante up, or be smart enough to eat them in private. But in the 'toddler/mother world of make believe', sharing is very different. By this I mean, if your kid is on a toy and/or playing with a toy and another kid wants it, then the other kid only need to ask for it or count to some stupid number, and wah-la, according to that kids mom, it's time for your kid to give it up (you following?). WHAT?! How in the hell is this sharing? To put it in perspective, if I was at a Starbucks and saw a table I wanted to sit at and another lady was sitting there, could you imagine me going up to her and saying "um, excuse me, I want that table, so I am going to count to 10 and then you need to find somewhere else to sit...because you need to share" No, it wouldn't happen, it's not the real world. What I want to say to all those kids (and more importantly their mothers) that think they are entitled to any and every toy that another is playing with is this...wait your f*ing little turn, you can count to 1,000 for all I care because the more you act like you want it the more my bratty little daughter is going to hoard it. How 'bout we just teach all toddlers this:
Life ain't fair. The quicker you learn this, the smarter you'll be. And the more I'll like you.
(bring on the backlash).
34 comments:
i triple dog someone to bring on the backlash. while i am not a parent-i do know the type of parent's you are talking about. thank u for telling that to eff off. awesome. so awesome.
I hope I've never done that! I don't think I've ever had it done to me (her). But the post and picture are enough to scare me to never do it!
Completely 100% agree! I never make my kids share (or give up the swing for that matter...although I may hint that it looks like johnny's been waiting an awful long time!) and just for the record...kids really don't have the cognitive ability to share until they're 3. okay, so this one time a kid came to my house and wanted to take one of ava's toys home with her...badly! Of course I told ava that she could let her if she wanted to and she said no (duh!) Okay, done deal kid...no toy for you. The mom looked at me like I was the worlds worst. What cracks me up the most about this post is your oh so eloquent way of putting things. And I agree with Lis...you are a little frightening looking in this picture!
pat and I love this post, typical megan fashion, just love it. I'd like to see some toddler count to 1,000 AND yes, I agree - finders keepers (ever heard of that saying?) there are 1 zillion toys that kids can play with, they just happen to all want to play w/ the same one. Did you get your nails done...they look nice?
oh boy!!! aaaaaaaaaaaahahahhahaahahah
I'm always asking others to give me their table at Starbucks, I don't know what you are talking about. :) For the record, "get over it" is a phrase much used in our house, time honored and wisely passed on through many generations in my family.
i totally agree with you... and would also LOVE to see you ask someone for their table at Starbucks this way.
ps love the cute blog header with the shoe pic!!!
1. heart the new shoe pic.
2.stophanging out at u-village and you might not meet these twats.
3. teach Hads "too bad, so sad"; our mantra.
Lavs, are you having secret service follow me? You just nailed the mama's I am talking about. See Lis, you're safe. Plus Maddie and Allie don't count, they are as good as siblings...so anything goes. Wow, Laur, I am really, really impressed. And all kudos go to Joc for the blog header...shocker.
Kate, I am dying that that mom thought you were satan for not letting her child rob your house and I totally agree I strongly encourage bratty bratterson to give up her loot or turn too. But it never works.
Lavs, are you having secret service follow me? You just nailed the mama's I am talking about. See Lis, you're safe. Plus Maddie and Allie don't count, they are as good as siblings...so anything goes. Wow, Laur, I am really, really impressed. And all kudos go to Joc for the blog header...shocker.
Kate, I am dying that that mom thought you were satan for not letting her child rob your house and I totally agree I strongly encourage bratty bratterson to give up her loot or turn too. But it never works.
Next time I'm at Starbucks and someone is monopolizing those cool chairs by the fireplace - I'm going to go up to them and try your suggestion - I love it:)
PS, those same kids whose mom's demand that other kids give up toys to them become real douches as teenagers and believe they are entitled to do no work and get whatever they want when they want it. Sadly, those kids will get no where near college because they aren't willing to work for anything. You go Megs, you go!
I'm your auntie, I know you too well ;-0
Aaah! Laurie totally beat me to it...I was going to guess U-Village too! The Starbucks analogy is perfect. Megan, you need to write a book!
btw. i'm kind of just dying right now. i just read your profile (for the very first time) and i die that for your list of 'likes' you included drinking.
love it. i only hope that i can be as grounded of a mom someday as you.
Hey- you're preachin to the choir, I basically only like my own kid... and a few FEW others....
Is that really how it is supposed to work? We just went to our first play time at the community center and whenever a little kid tried to take Abby's toy I said "I'm sorry, we are playing with this toy, please choose another toy". I wonder if all the other Moms thought I was a jerk for not sharing?! I don't care though, I agree and I'm boycotting that other version of sharing. That's lame.
joc...i was dying over that drinking tidbit too...she forgot to add that she wants to stick hot pokers in the eyes of people who don't drink with her.
well said Megs - Bratty Bratterson never needs to give it up - and you never need to apologize - too bad, so sad indeed!
You have exactly the right attitude. I worked in my daughter's preschool for three years and our policy was no "sharing" and no saying "sorry." We told Kid one to ask Kid two to let kid one know when kid two was done with the plaything so kid one could have a turn. More often than not, Kid two was perfectly happy to hand over the thing to kid one. Easy. Also, regret is an adult concept, so "sorry" has no place with toddlers since they're usually not actually sorry. Its better to show them the outcome of there transgression and work on empathy. later, they will say sorry when they actually feel regret.
I love your blog, found it through Alicia! Thank you for doing this post!!!I have a almost 4 yr old and have always wondered whatt he hell this counting to 5 thing is all about. If soemone wanted me to share my car-I would tell them no, counting to 10 wouldnt make me hand them my keys! Great post!!!!
Love this! Thank-you for sharing...couldn't agree more!
A tad shy? Puhleez, girl. Who do you think you are fooling?
I love your sass.
Love it.
I couldn't agree more. Seriously. Some people's moms. :) What I really want to know is the story behind the picture on this post. :)
And that's why kids and teens these days are #ussies...you fill in the first letter! You nailed it Meg, absolutely nailed it.
BRILLIANT! insightful and real. you can watch my gals any day!
interesting post. I would love to follow you on twitter.
brilliant as usual
I couldn't agree more! I had this lady at the gym stare me down for my locker the other day....I was the ONLY person in the locker room and apparently I was using "her locker"....WTF, of course I gave it to her:) I should have made her give me something in return......
what's up w people at the gym? Mikey and I were swimming the other day and this lady sloshed up to us and informed us that she was going to be 'walking back and forth' on the side of the pool we were on -- so were we supposed to move? We both peed in the water over there before we left that side of the pool
:-)
lol...Lavs you kill me!
Sharing is hard! my kids steal each others toys ALL the time and I snatch it back. I believe in first come first serve and the turn is up when the kid is done with it. I have had to take a toy or two back even from other children who have stolen one of my girls right out of their hands (me, not their own mother).
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