Mine

Having just returned from food shopping, we were all sitting down in the living room enjoying a bowl of blueberries together. Grafton's a big fan of blueberries, but he was willing to share the snack with his parents. He even went so far as to grab a handful out his Daddy's hand and brought them over to his Mama, who was laying down on the couch. We told him, "That was so sweet to bring Mama blueberries!" and he clearly understood because he went back to the bowl to do it again. After grabbing another handful, he started walking slowly over to Mama, but by the time he arrived all the blueberries had been consumed (we'll probably have to discourage him from getting into the pizza delivery business). He returned to the bowl to eat some more himself, and now he started cramming more into his mouth with each handful. Daddy had been enjoying the blueberries as well, and so far Grafton seemed to enjoy sharing the afternoon treat. But the bowl was getting low. Seeing the bottom of the bowl growing larger, Grafton's willingness to share evaporated, and when Daddy went reaching for one more berry, Grafton declared "Mine!" (muffled somewhat by a mouthful of blueberries). This was the first time we heard him lay claim to property. Daddy reached again for another tasty berry, and Grafton again protected the dwindling supply with a much clearer "Mine!" I asked him if Daddy could have a blueberry, and he blurted out a clear and definitive "No!" I then asked if Mama could have a blueberry. Again, "No!" We let him finish the bowl. We'll teach him the virtues of sharing another time.