How to teach your children sharing:
Leonard Nimoy: “The miracle of life is that we all share more than we have.”
Humans and all other species share the earth. We should instill the value of sharing with our children. We have a responsibility to instill values that emphasize cooperation and giving back from childhood. Do not force them to do so, but show them how you model sharing. Children are very attached to their parents, bags, clothes, colours and accessories. Children dislike sharing their parents with siblings when they have a second child. Teachers, schools, classes, and other educational centers can help you if it is difficult. Use bedtime stories, poems, examples, and poetry to show the benefits of sharing. Also, share your thoughts about givers, group activities or positive reinforcements. My favorite way to teach sharing and cooperation is by narrating stories. Narrating stories can help them imagine the characters, increase their listening skills and resourcefulness.
These are two inspiring stories:
1. Tanishka, a young girl, went to a small village with a priest once. The town was full of angry people. When they asked the priest for proposals, he suggested that they stay together for ever. They found a completely different environment when they arrived in another village. People were kind, compassionate, happy, and cooperative. The priest blessed them, and encouraged them to move out of their hometown. Tanishka, a surprised girl, asked the priest why he had given them different advice. The priest replied, “My girl. A few days ago, I had read some great words from Buddha, which stated that thousands of candles could be lit from one candle and that the life of the candle would not be cut short. He said that happiness never decreases when shared, and that only happy people can share happiness. He concluded that not only sharing possessions, but also joy can increase long-term happiness.
2. This is the story of the greedy Prince, which I’m sure all of us have heard in our childhood. The little prince was greedy and wanted everything, but he never got it all. He wanted to play with the toys of children from poor families. One day, a toymaker visited his palace and promised to create wonderful toys for him. In fact, he would invent a new toy each day. The prince was excited and thrilled, but the toymaker requested that the prince promise that he would play with every toy every single day. He spontaneously agreed. The prince was happy for the first few weeks as he received a new toy every day and also played with older toys. After a while, his collection grew and he was surrounded by too many toys. He was unable to spend enough time outdoors, sleep, eat, and talk. He couldn’t find enough time to play with all the toys, which made the toy manufacturer mad. He noticed some children who were very poor playing with their toys one day. He invited them to his palace, and he offered to share his toys with them. He even asked them to bring each one home. The children were thrilled and so was the price. The prince was content with his toys and he stayed focused on other things.
Moral of the story: “Happiness does not come from having, but sharing. Norman Mac Ewan: We don’t make a living off what we get. But we make a good life off what we give.