Sharing

Natural Attachment: Sharing is caring

Michele James Parham put up an interesting post about children and sharing. She takes the view that children should not be forced to share their possessions by adults. Having rights over property is an important part of realising personal autonomy.

I agree with her. Children should have the freedom to develop personal autonomy, which is such a vital part of being an individual.

Part of being personal autonomy is having boundaries. Having the power to say 'No!' If you cannot say 'No!' you have no control over your life.

It is so important to respect the boundaries that other people set. Every person deserves to have their free choices respected.

One of the boundaries that some people set is too require people entering their homes to remove their shoes. Whether that is for religious reasons, to protect their children's health or just to keep the carpet clean, it is a choice that other people should respect.

There are some people who treat this choice with contempt. A common thing you will read in forums discussing the shoes-off rule is "If you don't want people wearing shoes in your house, don't invite any guests." If you take that attitude why should anybody invite you to their home?

I actually think the people who object to the shoes-off rule are rather like adults who force childen to share. They fail to see that nobody is under an obligation to provide hospitality to anybody. Being invited to somebody's home is a privilege, not a right and if you are, you must respect the boundaries of the hostess.