Stickers

This morning I watched a friend's kids for a few hours.  Before they arrived Jack had a couple of sheets of stickers he'd been given yesterday.  I suggested that maybe Lainey would like to have some stickers--did he think maybe he could give her a sheet of stickers?  He was very enthusiastic about the idea.  The problem came when deciding which sheet to give her.  (He had used three stickers off one of the sheets yesterday.)  I tried to help him understand why he should give her the sheet he hadn't taken any stickers off of yet.  I could tell he wasn't really buying it and that selfishness was winning out in his little heart.  Just then the knock came at the door--the kids were dropped quickly and Jack proceeded to exchange gifts with Lainey, who had brought him a Christmas treat.  A little later I noticed the two sheets of stickers.  Jack had been encouraged to give Lainey "sheet B" (see photo below), which he had done.  However..."sheet B" was now three stickers short, while "sheet A's" three missing stickers had been carefully replaced.  Yeah, maybe it's a little funny and my friend comment on how smart that was and maybe I should be all impressed that my 2-year old was willing to share at all.  But God calls us to more--to be completely selfless--not to just give what's easy to give.  I say this not as an expectation on how Jack should be acting at this age, but as an object lesson of sorts, I guess.  Unfortunately I still see that tendency in myself--to keep the best for myself.  To think of me first.  Perhaps he's only following my example.  Ugh.  I look forward to chatting with him about it when he gets up from his nap.

"Sheet A": kept by Jack...notice 3 replacement stickers
(row 1 #1 and row 2 #'s 1 & 2 [whoops, not the best matching buddy!])

"Sheet B": given to Lainey...sans 3 stickers