Baby Justice

Whenever two babies come together in a play situation, the occasion will inevitably arise when both babies want a single toy at the same time. One will reach out and take it from the other setting off a flurry of activity from the watchful parents. Usually, adults react in one of three ways to this scenario.

1. The toy in question is taken away from the offending child and returned to the first child often accompanied by a short treatise on why it's good to share
2. Either the perpetrator or the victim of the toy theft will be offered an alternative toy as a distraction
3. The adults nearby do not take action

I must admit that I am a member of the third category - in part because I'm scientifically interested in observing the ways babies can interact with each other. But, mostly it's because I don't really know what else to do. Until Baby J is older, I can't really see the point of rushing in to explain the virtues of sharing to both parties while I forcibly removing the toy from her tiny fists. Nor do I think it makes sense to distract either baby with an undisputed toy. It doesn't really solve the situation - only complicates it further.

I guess most folks react because they don't want to seem rude to the other child's parents. I certainly don't want to be rude either but I feel like it's just a little to early to swoop in and save the day. After all, if Baby J has a stolen toy and I take away from her, how is she to differentiate my behavior from hers? How is she to know that I have the law on my side?

Despite a nagging feeling that I'm reinforcing some sort of antisocial behavior, I guess the do-nothing approach is okay at this point. After all, do babies even have a concept of ownership? Do they understand justice? Can they feel slighted by an offending peer?

There's plenty of time to teach the importance of sharing. For now, baby toy-theft is a natural part of socialization, a victimless crime.

Listening To: Plain Rap by Pharcyde