pap minors

Two minors aged 2 and 4 reportedly died after consuming pap. Image via Unsplash

Expert advice: Here’s why you SHOULDN’T be forcing your kid to share

It turns out sharing isn’t always caring. According to experts, forcing your kid to share may have some harmful long-term effects.

pap minors

Two minors aged 2 and 4 reportedly died after consuming pap. Image via Unsplash

Growing up, our parents were adamant that we learn the importance of sharing whatever we had with other children. As we grew up to have our own kids, we started enforcing the same message – because well, giving is good. It turns out teaching your kiddies to share isn’t exactly as good an idea as you think it is. According to a clinical psychologist, forcing your child to share may have some harmful effects in the long run.

No more forcing your kid to share – here’s why

We’ve all heard the phrase sharing is caring at least once in our lives.

This is because older people have always been adamant about teaching children the importance of sharing what we have with others.

According to clinical psychologist Laura Markham, PhD, teaching children to share comes with some of its own dangers.

Speaking to Very Well Family, Markham explains that forcing a child to share with another child or children may teach the child that crying for something that doesn’t belong to them will help them get whatever they want.

This is because most of the time, a child is forced to share when another child is throwing a tantrum or crying for whatever it is the child has.

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More important things to teach kiddies

Instead of forcing the child to share, Markham says you should teach the other child patience. You can do this by asking the children to take turns with whatever they have or are playing with.

She also says you should encourage children to use their words and not tantrums to get whatever it is they want.

Markham also encourages adults to allow children to teach themselves how to share things without them intervening all the time.

This will help them with important life skills she said.