What playground sharing seems to mean in Chinese

I usually load up my bag with toys (balls, cups, plastic shovels, and cars) when we go outside to play.  Most kids don't come out with toys so it's a convenient way to avoid a few fights and tantrums when kids are reaching for my little man's ball and to keep everyone entertained so that the adults can relax a bit.

It's full of interesting things

We enjoy playing with the other kids, but some mornings are rough.  I think people honestly want their kids to "play with my son" but my ears seem to translate the message to "my daughter/son wants your son's ball, so please give it to her.  Now."  Sharing to me means playing with something together, like throwing a ball back and forth!  I think the Chinese context for sharing is more like "he's played with it for a while so now it's my daughter's turn." Or, "that's an interesting place to play (bouncing a ball on an outdoor exercise chair ), but as soon as you retrieve your ball, my child will sit in that chair!  Obviously ending my DS's play-time there :( )  And I can see in a sense that that's also sharing or maybe on a stretch taking turns.  But it gets rather frustrating when he's not allowed to play and a parent or grandparent doesn't step in to avert the situation.

He loves playing here.  Already joined by one small friend.

About 4 minutes it was a popular place to hang-out.  We had to move after his ball bounced off a baby's head (the baby was in front of the mom in the purple.  Not the ideal place to have put him when my son's playing basketball....) but guess well, between the little girl sitting there and the kids, not really an ideal spot anymore.  

Don't underestimate his love of balls

Clarification: Most of these situations are with new toddlers &kids (or moms!), not with his friends (their mom's have learned not to take his ball out of his hands!) :)

In the past, I think I told you all that parent's over here really don't like when their kids cry, so they avoid tantrums at all costs.  So if someone starts pointing at his ball, that's when they'd expect me to take it out of his hands (even though he's playing with it) and give it to their child.  They don't want their child to cry.  Perhaps they don't anticipate my little man's screams!  I think they just see that Will's having fun and they want their kid to have some fun too.  That makes sense.

Today a few people tried to get his balls. (They are welcome to take anything that he's not playing with and the little kids will go into my bag and find things, no problem).

• The first time he was carrying the ball around and a little girl saw him, thought it was a cool ball and told her mom that she wanted it.  So the parent tried to persuade Will to hand it over (or me to grab it out of his hands and give it to the girl!!) We escaped with the ball and moved to another area.
• Then as he was trying to make shots into the basket, a grandma timed her snatch and as the ball rolled away.... she quickly took it and gave it to her little girl, who ran off with it.

Of course, DS ran after the ball (and her) to get it back.  I tried to convince the grandma that they could play TOGETHER with the ball....  I think she realized as we chased her around (the grandma was holding the kid with the ball and made no effort to give it back) that we weren't going to give up / and that we missed the cultural cue to not hold something back if a little kid is crying for it.  I guess she doesn't anticipate that we're scared by a few tears or that we haven't yet adapted to the Chinese sharing method.  In the end, she finally took it out of her granddaughter's hands and DS happily resumed making pretend baskets.

So I come out with other toys.  Take his car.  Play with the Frisbee.  Dig up some dirt with his shovel.  Stack his cups.  Play with the chalk. Have fun.  Just let us have fun at the same time too:)

He does like to play with other kids if they play with him:)