Elena has been carefully guarding these toys all morning- a little stuffed border collie and a box of alphabet blocks. She has been carrying them from room to room. When she goes to the bathroom, the toys come with her. There have been several unsuccessful hostile takeover attempts this morning already, as well as cries of, "Elena's not SHARING". This is because nothing is so covetous to another child as something that someone else is playing with. Children from large families jealously guard that which is rightly theirs, or even that which they believe ought to be theirs. We've had battles over every toy in the house and every food item that cannot be divided in to five equal portions. Outgrown clothing, especially favorite items, are pried unwillingly from the hands of the too-big owner to be given to the next younger child (who does his part by gloating cheerfully over the newly acquired item.) The rights to things like bunk bed assignments, drawer and shelf space, and van seating are hotly debated. Order is also very important- who has to take their shower first, who gets in or out of the van first, who gets served their dinner first, etc. Our house is filled with lamentations of "Hey, that's mine!", "How come she gets the last piece?", "I should get it, I'm the oldest!", "I had to go first last time!"
So really, there is good reason for Elena's pathetic little toy hoarding maneuvers. She know for an established fact that if she turn her back on her toys for even as long as it takes to use the bathroom, some other kid will walk off with them. And since even here at home possession is nine-tenths of the law, it's very likely she won't get her toys back.
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