No, kids shouldn't share.

The idea of "sharing" is quite popular in American culture, but I decline.

Somehow, sharing seems nice if you're the giver helping out the poor, less-fortunate kid. But is it really sharing if the person you're giving to really doesn't want the respective item? Then you're a giver rather than the sharer. Giving does not teach the same values that sharing does. Giving willfully teaches the value of selflessness while sharing teaches the values of equality and fairness.

"There is no greater inequality than the equal treatment of unequals." (There are so many attibuted authors for this quote that I am unsure who the original author is.)

Some people have gotten it into their minds that they deserve what others have, and still call that "sharing." In fact, by definition, sharing means that you divide something into "shares" and distribute equally. You might share a bicycle by taking equal turns, or share a candybar by dividing it into pieces. This does not mean that the person is required to give up what they have, nor do they have to give it to them right then. The shares have to be equal, but not the distribution of these shares. This means that I can share with whom I choose. I do not have to give all that I have, only an equal portion to each party with whom I choose to share. This type of sharing emphasizes patience, and avoids the problems of instant gratification

Say I earned $0.50 and bought a candybar. I shouldn't be obligated to share just because someone else doesn't have one. We're not communists! (Please read the The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) I have a candybar because I worked hard and earned it. I can share my candybar if I want to. I can share however much or little of my candybar that I would like. If I share it willingly, then I've learned not to be selfish. If I'm obligated to share, not only have I lost the chance to learn selflessness, but we're also teaching the receiver that he should depend on some sort of welfare system where he reaps where he has not sown.

More importantly, I think a kid needs to come to grips with the fact that "what's mine is mine, and what's yours is yours." If a person desires what they do not have, asking for a portion is commonly accepted. However, sharing is not always the best way to handle the situation of greed. Sometimes the resolution is a man working for his portion. Sometimes the answer is simply, "no." This teaches a kid not to be whiny, greedy, and inconsiderate. In turn, the kid learns respect for other's property, the value of work, and the ability to handle not getting what he wants.