the sandbox paradox

The ‘sandbox paradox’ has troubled me for a long time. When my kids were little, I took them to our local park on a regular basis. We loaded up our sand toys and spread out amongst the other children. Of course, I always had them share their toys when other children came over to play. I’m sure you did this too or continue to do so today with your little ones.

But what happens when our children get older? Do we still encourage them to share, just like in the sandbox? Frankly, I look around the Bay Area and don’t see much of it. I see a lot of competitive parenting, people wanting the best for their own children but ignoring others who are RIGHT THERE.

I want to ask all of you to take a candid look at your efforts to share what you have. If you, like me, are lucky enough to live in the United States, you probably have a lot you can share. If you have a roof over your head, running water, heat, food in the refrigerator and a host of other comforts, you probably have a lot you can share. If you can get the latest i-gadgets from Apple, travel to exotic locales and/or eat out as much as you want, you probably have a lot you can share.

And if you think about the fact that we all step into the proverbial sandbox every day, don’t you think we can do a better job of sharing our toys?

I try, but I know I can do better. Will you join me?