ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the expectations we have for our children and why it is vital they are realistic and developmentally appropriate. It discusses some of the behavioural expectations we place on our children and think about them in terms of child development. Sharing is an area where adults regularly have unrealistic expectations. Children may be aware that other people have emotions, but young children cannot yet understand that they can influence these and that the feelings of others might be different to theirs. Children's Theory of Mind continues to develop in their primary school years. Most people define empathy in terms of placing themselves in someone else's shoes.
