Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/rethinking-sharing/5024814/
In my bathroom cabinet, I have a bottle of lotion that costs $100. Take from this statement what you will. Perhaps I have outrageous taste in cosmetics. Perhaps I am a sucker for gimmicks. Both are true, along with the fact that this lotion is mine. All mine. Bought with my own cash, thoroughly loved, rarely used and meticulously stored. This is an object I do not share. My husband is acutely aware of the value of this lotion to me and avoids it at all costs. The same could be said for the reverence I show for his prized race medals. We can look at them, but both of us know we need to ask before we take them out.
As an early childhood educator, I am accustomed to the refrain, “Share with your friends.” We tell children constantly to share, but what it means to actually share is quite a murky subject. Food and family-style dining are obvious topics around which sharing is discussed. We dish something out equally, or according to our needs. When someone comes to our house as an invited guest, we offer drinks, seats, food: comforts to acclimate them and endear them to ...