I imagine that every parent of a small child has been there, sitting on the outside of a group of kids who are wrestling, screaming, biting, kicking, crying over a doll stroller, a talking excavator, a blue block, a Cheerio from the floor. Once the mayhem's been broken up, some parent inevitably sighs and says, "I just don't understand why Hunter/Jordan/Emily/Jacob/Apple can't share." And then every other parent nods in understanding.

While I hate to see my own child sobbing on the floor because his best buddy is holding the one truck he hasn't played with himself in a year, it is not something I personally worry about too much. After all, I don't know very many adults who share well. Despite being territorial about nearly every material possesion in sight, those same adults are reasonably well-adjusted people with partners, jobs, homes and limited arrest records. I've found that distraction works best (for now) with the wee ones who have a tantrum over a Dora sippy cup one minute and can't stand Dora or drinking diluted juice the next minute.

If sharing is really, truly an issue -- for your kids or, more likely, other kids your kid plays with, or even more likely, you -- then this lovely and diplomatic article at Clever Parents is one to read, photocopy and distribute around the park. It has a nice perspective on setting up situations where kids are more likely to share and devising strategies that might make adults breathe deeper when the mele sets in. If none of this works out, then for sanity's sake, just trash the article, go to Target and invest in a Dora cup for every kid you know.