Money Minded Families

9Principles of Money Management: Share

Sharing is one of the most fundamental lessons we teach toddlers, encouraged at schools and in the broader community. As parents, we can all recall cringeworthy moments when our children had temper tantrums, screamed at the top of their lungs, or even bit other children, all because someone had something they wanted. Most of us quickly intervene, encouraging our children to share and apologizing profusely to those around us while we turn crimson red with embarrassment.

We are taught that sharing is caring, yet for many of us somewhere along the way sharing becomes less important. In fact, sharing becomes obsolete. When, how, why does it happen? It certainly isn't something we consciously decide. We just stop putting so much emphasis on it as we shift from sharing with others to trying to keep up with others. We attach less value to sharing and more value to “getting,” the more complicated our social and emotional lives become. Unfortunately, because many of us stop focusing on sharing as our children age, our children often lose sight of its importance and their role in helping others. Somewhere along the way we trade sharing for competing, and with having and needing more than everyone else. This is called consumerism because it literally consumes us. To combat it, we need to reweave the privilege of sharing into our children's lives and help shift their perspective.

No matter our religious, social, political, or other leanings, most ...