Gift Giver

Last night I was preparing the kids' backpacks for school, when I found a bunch of items in Oliver's bag.  There was a plastic tomato and pile of peas, spatula, cup, plate and a book.  I assumed that Oli stuck them in his bag, but I wrote the teacher to make sure they weren't some odd reward.  His teacher wrote me back this morning to tell me that he loves to put toys in his backpack and has recently started putting them in the backpacks of the other kids in his class.  In fact earlier this week he put his favorite toy, a spoon, into a classmate's bag and the boy said "Oliver gave it to me".  (Why is a spoon his favorite toy?  I bet it has something to do with his love of eating and he likes drumming the table with spoons.)

In his own unique way, I think Oliver is giving gifts and sharing toys with his friends.  He is becoming more and more social at school.  Even though this is a behavior we need to stop - he can't steal toys from school - it shows a cognitive awareness of sharing.  I am quite proud of my little thief.