Sharing With Others

Do you often get stares from other moms if you don't intervene when someone takes something from your child or your child takes something from another child?
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There are different approaches of what to do but I find the best method is to not intervene as your child needs to learn how to interact with other children. The concept of sharing as I have written about previously is an abstract concept they don’t understand yet. Rather, the approach of “taking turns” is something that a toddler/preschooler can more easily pick up on. For example, providing the language for your toddler can be helpful when a potential fight is about to break out. Saying, “Johnny, when you’re done playing with that bucket, may Samantha have a turn?” Allow the child the ability to come to the conclusion on their own and then if this is a toddler situation, you can turn to the other child & provide them with an alternative to play with in the meantime by saying, “Johnny is playing with that bucket right now, but you may play with that other toy. When he is done with his turn, you may have a turn.”
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In order to further highlight this concept, try to provide opportunities for teaching between you & your toddler at home or on the go. For example, when in the car, don’t allow your child to choose all the songs themselves. Explain, “I get a turn to pick one song & then you may get a turn.” Same goes for choosing books at night & brushing teeth: “I get a turn & then you get a turn.”
The reason why this is so important to teach your child early on & to intervene as little as possible is that you will not be there when they are in school. Thus, providing the language will help them navigate these situations by themselves.