that's an interesting question. i'd say that it depends on the child and where they are at in their development but that it is always important to teach them not just by telling but by example. i think a 2 year old is going to have some issues with sharing regardless because many of them wouldn't have a lot of empathy at that age. of course, i don't have anything to back that up but my own opinion. i just think that they should be taught but you shouldn't expect them to really start to get it until they are a little older.

according to child developments clinics that I have gone to with my daughter they are born to be selfish as they can not grasp the concept of sharing quite yet some do but not very many. Like I have said before I have twins and they have shared everythingfrom birth and on and when they were 1,2,3 they shared sometime great like the perfect little girls and othe times it turned into ww3 and I had to take the toy way. The my hubby started buying the same toys for each of them. This does not always work as they get mixed up even with names on them and we get ww3 all over again. Now that they are 5 theyare much better about sharing and like too their little sister on the other hand everythingis hers even mommy and she will block them push them what ever she has to to keep her things. She tries and is learning and it will come so I most definatly think they are born that way
taykare

Maybe twins are better at sharing because they started out sharing a womb!

I think sharing in general is a learned behaviour. Our primal instinct would be to guard our resources.

Taught to share.

not my twins. they are only 9 months but they already fight over toys. usually Eternity is the one taking the toy away.

I think the act of sharing is a taught behavior. It's not exactly evolutionarily advantageous to give away something you have, but it is socially advantageous.

Yes, children may be born as more pre-disposed to be empathetic, or to be possessive, so teaching sharing to certain children may be more difficult, but I don't think many children will automatically share or not share.

taught.

most behaviour is taught.

I think you have to teach them to share.

Incidently, this is something that many adults I know never learned to do.

I think children are not born to share. They are taught to share. Depending on the values that the parents instill in their child, those are the values they will know how to express as adults. It is human nature to be selfish. And human nature to sin. For instance, you don't find people teaching their children how to lie. Or how to be bad. They eventually come across that on their own by their own observations. We have to teach our children not to lie etc etc.

Children are taught to share, we are born with the impulse of being selfish are from then taught to be somewhat selfless.

Someone else said all behaviour is taught, hes pretty much right although there is some exception, never forget exceptions.