Sharing Is Caring... Or So They Say

Hey Lovelies!

During the entire time Aiden was 1-year-old, he loved, loved, LOVED to share pretty much all of his things. If he had had it and you wanted it, it was yours. Easy. So simple. I was amazed at how he was able to share his things and I gave myself a pat on the back for teaching him how to share. I thought that all those articles I read about in the magazines and on blogs about babies who didn't like to share were totally exaggerating. Obviously it was the caregivers who didn't teach and encourage their little ones to share. Right? Wrong!

Enter age two. And all of a sudden I have a full-blown toddler on my hands who just goes around snatching things that weren't even his to begin with and says "mine, mine, mine!" Was he a bit irrational? Yes! But was he very serious when he called the [insert amazing toy here] his? Yes! What the heck was I thinking when I didn't listen to the advice from those articles?! How the heck did I go from being the mother of a super sweet baby boy who loved to share to this irrational toddler who seems to think that the world revolves around him and his every desire? So I did the research and here's what I found:

He acts like the world revolves around him because in his sweet little toddler mind, he actually thinks that the world revolves around him. Duh, Alicia! Toddlers tend to be egocentric, which means that for the most part, they view their peers and others around them as mere objects who should respond to their every wish and want.

That's it! It's that simple. His ability to share at the age of 1 came from nothing great that I had done, and his inability to share at the age of 2 comes from nothing awful that I am doing. It has more to do with the stages that he -- and most kids for that matter -- is going through. And as with all stages of development, whenever I see that it is hard for him to share, I chant to myself over and over and over again, "this too, shall pass... this too, shall pass..."

Smooches,

SweetAl