The Exchange
Siya is a 13-year-old teenager. She is an avid reader and has joined a local library to borrow books she likes to read. She also prefers books as gifts on her birthday and other occasions and is creating her own little library. Her friends share things like music, books, fashion accessories etc very easily with each other. But Siya just refuses to lend anything to her friends. Her friends thought she was selfish and silly, but Siya would not budge. Her parents tried to speak to her to find out the reason. After many conversations, they realized that Siya felt her friends did not care much for borrowed things and would spoil them. Since her passion was reading, she felt that if she started lending other things, someone would even ask for her books! And she could not bear to part with her books, even for a day-lest, anyone spoils them. Finally, she was coaxed by her mother to exchange a book with her friend. This way it was a two-way transaction and Siya could demonstrate to her friend that she took good care of the borrowed book and returned it in original condition. She was encouraged to see that her friend did the same. She has now started exchanging books with other interested friends. The exchange system allows her to demonstrate and assess. Slowly over time, she has now become more open to sharing other things with friends she trusts.
