It's pretty typical for young (and otherwise) children to have a problem sharing at times.  However, it's still a bit difficult when a child does not want to share a friend.

Our child's teacher has informed us of the unwillingness to share a special friend at preschool.  What's a parent to do?  We talked about how I share Daddy.  Not only do the children get to do things with him, but I do not always sit next to Daddy on the couch.  The children each get to enjoy special times with Daddy, too.

When we have something we want to discuss with the children, I tend to want to use picture books to do so.    (That is also how we told them we were expecting Little Sis.  It also works for illness, dentists, first day of school, and loose teeth.)  But really, I had no recollection of any books that discussed sharing friends.

Thankfully, I didn't have to rely on myself to find a book to speak to my child's heart.
The next day, I went to my stash of review books and pulled out My Friend Fred for our nap time book.  HA!  Written by Hiawyn Oram and illustrated by Rosie Reeve, this book is described as, "A heartwarming tale about friendship and sharing."

Fred is the much loved family dog, but Grace pretty much claims him as her dog, and with reason.  He tucks her in, checks for monsters, and is there when she wakes up in the morning-every day.  One day Grace's sister has some friends over and invites Fred to play ball.  Fred LOVES the game of ball and cannot resist it.  In that selfish moment, Grace takes Fred to her bedroom where he whines and whimpers and wants to go outside.

Then it dawns on Grace that friends should not keep their friends all to themselves.  And she shares Fred.

This was a great book with cute illustrations even without the perfect timing of the very lesson we needed to hear.  Thank you, Tiger Tales, for sending My Friend Fred our way!

How do you use books to teach your children about life?

~ Annette {This Simple Mom}