The Full Plate Club: Sharing and Generosity
Sylvia Toyama wrote:
[During a long phone call...] both kids were right there — being quiet. Dan was quietly nursing back to sleep during a nap, and Andy sat very sweetly nearby patiently waiting for me to be done.
After the phone call, Daniel wanted some white pretzels (yogurt covered) and Andy wanted gummy bears. I was out of both, and also needed some fruit so we went to the store for snacks. This is something [my mom] would never have done for us as kids — a trip for treats just because.
When we got into the car, Andy asked for seven scoops of gummi bears (from bulk bins). I explained I had only $6 on me, and needed to get bananas too, so we'd have to keep the snacks to about $2 each. He said okay.
When we got into the store, Andy scooped three into the bag, went to the scale and weighed. It was just over a pound at $2.49/lb. He insisted on putting some back so it would be less than a pound. We got Dan's pretzels, I decided against bananas, since they just didn't look good (bruised). At the checkstand, Andy asked if he had to share the bears. I said no, but reminded him that when we set a precedent of not sharing, we may find that others don't want to share with us. I said nothing more on it.
Driving home, we hadn't gotten a mile when Dan asked for a bear, and Andy let him choose which one he wanted. Then Dan offered Andy a white pretzel, and insisted I have one. Before I had finished the pretzel, Andy gave me a selection of five bears (one of each color) because he wanted to share. During the time in the store, no one begged for more, no one fought about amounts, and it was really an enjoyable trip.
Generosity
an unschooling nest
