Moms Talk: Is Forced Sharing Still Caring?

Moms Talk is a new feature on Morton Grove Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to parents and families.

Morton Grove Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for families right here in Morton Grove.

Each week in Moms Talk Q&A, our local Moms Council of experts and been-there-done-that moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk Q&A will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. Do you know of local moms raising their children in the Tiger Mother's way and is it the best way? Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about the pot brownies fiasco in nearby neighborhoods? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question from Laura Frisch:

What are some constructive ways we can teach our children how to share?

As a preschool teacher, I try to explain sharing in these three terms: taking turns, exchanging and sharing. The first is to take a turn: Use something and then give it to the next person when you are done. It is easily done as practice at home with small children (and big ones too!). Then there is exchanging an item: If you want the blue one, I'll take the red one, and then we can switch. The last one is sharing, because really none of us are good at this (giving what we already have). As an adult, how many things do you really share? Maybe a blanket when watching a movie, but not much else. Keep these in mind the next time you ask your child to share.