Parenting is a learning experience – and the people we most often learn from are our children. Some of the main areas of educational instruction we receive from our children fall under the broad umbrella of economics, capitalism, and a free market economy. First let me state that this education is not free, it is not voluntary, and it is certainly not painless.

It all begins with the widely-accepted notion that sharing is good. Now, I’m not saying that sharing isn’t good, I’m just saying you need to be careful. Sharing instruction begins when children are approximately two years old. If you think back to when you first began parenting toddlers, you may recall that sharing is clearly not on their priority list. They prefer the grab-and-run method. It’s only with parental nurturing – also known as interference – that sharing becomes part of a toddler’s frame of reference. At this point the toddler has to make a decision: He must either learn to run faster or bite the bullet (not the other child’s arm!) and come to terms with the fact that sharing is here to stay.