Sharing: It's Tough for Older Kids Too!

Sharing is often a difficult concept for kids of all ages to embrace. But, by the time kids reach the young teen age, it is often even worse. That's usually because young teens are fighting for their independence and sharing is often seen as anything but! However, at this age, parents can still teach teens and tweens the benefits of sharing.

Considering Others

Sharing is a concept that seems to take an entire childhood to learn. There are even some adults who have not grasped the idea. Teaching kids to share helps to keep them from becoming self-centered, and it teaches them to help others. It is a good idea to teach them that to give is better than to receive. Keep these positive parenting tips in mind when it comes to sharing and young teens:

• Help your teen to understand what it feels like for someone not to share with her. This is one of the best ways to teach tweens about the importance of sharing. When you see this happening, discuss how it feels and remind her that this is how others feel when she doesn't share with them.
• Teach your young teen how to resolve conflicts. If she has these skills, she may be more likely not to let disagreements get out of hand.
• Determine if a particular object or thing should be shared. While sharing does have some good moral character benefits, it is not necessary to make kids share everything.
• Encourage sharing. Teach kids how to share and how to ask others to share. There are ways to ask for things that are likely to yield better results.
• Teach sharing by using a behavior chart and reward your child for handling situations appropriately.
• Model sharing by setting a good example. Sharing is often overlooked by parents, too.

When people don't share, hurt feelings, resentment, and even arguments can result. If you can jump in here and there, referee a situation, and seek input about what your young teen thinks should be the outcome, you will be more successful in teaching her about sharing. With some patience and consistency, she will learn to appreciate sharing.