Why do toddlers and kids up to 5 think everything is theirs?

Question

why are kids(more girls than boys i found with my brothers and sister and cousin) so greedy and grabby "mine, mine, mine" at a young age

Answer 1

its quite noramal lots of 5 year olds do that, you'll jus have to teach then to share.

hope this helps.

Answer 2

Because they don't understand the concept of sharing...that is why parents and other's around them have to TEACH children to share.  Children are not born with encyclopedias and dictionaries in their brains.  They are not born understanding the world and everything it is about.  Believe it or not YOU were once just as greedy.

Answer 3

ownership and sharing are learned.  If they aren't being taught, these skills can't be learned.

Answer 4

It's a stage that many children go through - the Mine Stage. They think everything is rightfully theirs. They grow out of it.

Answer 5

Not all girls. I was never like that... but my brother was...

But because they don't like sharing cause there scared you play with it you'll breakit...

It's not as common if there is more kids than only one sibling.

Answer 6

Because they are at a young age, and just coming into the world.

Answer 7

Haha i've got no idea. I took my 17 month old neice with me to the dentist the other day.. and there was another little boy her size, but he was only 8 months old. He had a couple teething toys set out.. of course, my neice runs over there and grabs them. I told her to put them back and she went over to him acting like she was gonna give it to him. Once he reached his hand out, almost touching the toy, she snaps it right back, runs away, and starts laughing. She is very naughty and selfish. I always thought it was because she was the only girl in the family, but guess not.

Answer 8

When children are very small, they don't really get that other people are separate, independent humans just like them. In the very little, they still think of other people as just moving objects in their world. It takes a while to understand that other people having feelings and desires and the world doesn't revolve around you. Some people never learn.

Answer 9

Because kids that age think the world revolves around them. It natural. They are naturally egotistical and it's a parents responsability to teach their kids as they grow that it's not all about them. Kids that age don't have the ability to "put themselves in anothers shoes" or understand that others have feelings too. They learn it little by little as they grow and learn and with the help of parents teaching them.

Answer 10

There is a primal instinct to grab and go, to get what you can and squirrel it away.  It's like the runt puppy that you take home from the pound.  The puppy has a full dish of food that is out there all the time for him, but yet he sneaks over there while no one is looking, grabs some food, and runs to some corner to eat it.

The kids have the same instincts going on.  Grab what you can, and claim possession.   It is actually more prevalent in poorer families than richer families because of course the child will eventually learn that they don't need to be so greedy and grabby.... if they are given what they want.

Answer 11

Because they are told no so often and have a lot of off limit areas in a house. Of course telling them no is for their safety etc. and needs to be done. But from their point of view they just want something that is theirs to control and be bossy over like everyone is to them.

Answer 12

kids that age don't understand why they can't have whatever they want. they don't have the social skills for that.