The boys were sitting around the kitchen table at Willie’s house, talking about always having to share.

Grandpa Dooley was sitting in a chair, not far from the table, pretending to read the paper. Actually he was listening in on the boys conversation.  From what they were saying, he could tell they really didn’t like having to share all the time.

Grandpa Dooley wondered to himself as he listened to them. Should he speak up? Don’t  they realize, they have choices? Don’t they know that sometimes it’s okay not to share?

“Hey boys,” said Grandpa Dooley as he got up and walked over to the table , “I can’t help overhearing what you are talking about and I just want to say that you don’t always have to share. Sometimes its okay not to share. Sometimes it’s not even a good idea to share. Sometimes it is even wrong to share.”

The boys all stared at Grandpa Dooley as if he had three heads! Hector spoke for all the boys when he said, “Tell us when it is okay not to share. I’d really like to know when I don’t have to share!”

Grandpa smiled and said,”When your parents or a teacher or  someone else in authority tell you to share…well, it is usually a good idea to do it. But, if a stranger or another kid says you have to share, well, no you don’t. It is up to you if you want to share with a friend or someone you know from school or the recreation center or the park. You have the choice to share or not to share. You just need to ask yourself a few questions:

• How well do I know this person?
• Do I want to share?
• Does this person really need me to share? Is it a special circumstance, say, they don’t have any snack and they are hungry?
• How will I feel if I don’t share?

The boys thought for awhile. Then Willie asked, “Okay, what about when it is not a good idea to share?”

Grandpa Dooley answered,”When what you would share could hurt the person. For instance, little kids shouldn’t eat peanuts. It could make them sick. So, it wouldn’t be a good idea to share peanuts with your little brother or sister. “

The boys nodded, that made sense. Then Arthur J asked, “When is it wrong to share?”

“That’s an easy one,” said Grandpa Dooley. “Here are a few examples:

• We are not supposed to share homework answers because that would be cheating.
• We shouldn’t share licks on the same ice cream pop or swigs from the same soda bottle because that’s how you spread germs.

So you see boys, you don’t always have to share. But, you do have to be ready to make a choice when you are asked to share.”