if your child is playing with a toy, and other toys are available, would you encourage your child to let the other kid play with the toy? or should the other child leave yours alone, and find something else themself? does it depend on whose house you are at? It depends. If the other child really wanted to play with the toy, I'd encourage DD to let them have a turn with it. But if she then handed that toy over and went to play with something else, and the other kid then wanted what DD was now playing with, I'd probably encourage the other child to play with something else.

* if your colleague forgets their lunch, would you offer to share yours? or offer to loan them some money? Yes, always.

* if a friend is in financial difficulty, so you offer help? what kind of help? We're not in a financial position to lend money, but I'd see if we could have them over for dinner, or something like that. I guess it depends on the situation.

* what about family? Same as above.

* how well would you need to know someone on bellybelly for you to be willing to offer assistance? Not very well it seems! We'd met MummyNaomi once (but I'd chatted to her LOTS and would consider her one of my closest friends) when we offered her family a place to stay at our house when their accommodation didn't work out. I've also made meals for two BB members, one of which I have on FB, but neither of them I'd met before.

* do you give to people begging? buy the big issue? donate to charities? I don't give to beggers. I used to get hassled by the same person daily when I worked in the city and he had better clothes than I did. My stepdad offered to buy a beggar a meal once and he refused the food, demanding money instead. Both instances have turned me right off. I'm happy to donate goods (like for the bushfires, etc - we donated books and bed sheets). We give to the RCH Good Friday Appeal, and DH donates his time to CFA.

* if you see a complete stranger in trouble (falling over on the street, fainting on the train, throwing up at the shops, whatever) do you help? do you call for help but not intervene personally? Yes. We came across a car a long time ago with a pipe coming out from the exhaust pipe. She was parked in a park and I made DH turn around. I was pretty freaked out, not sure how far she'd gotten, but she was still okay, hadn't turned on the car. I called the ambos while DH tried to talk to her. I'd hope that if I was in some sort of trouble, someone would help me.

* do you share/help out when you know it's not likely to be reciprocated (whether a repeat offender friend/relative, or someone you know isn't in a position to help out in return)? Yes. Repeat offender. It gets on my nerves, but I still do it. And they're in a position to return the favour, but they don't.

* how personal does your sharing get? do/would you donate blood? plasma? bone marrow? a kidney? breastmilk? eggs? would you be a surrogate for someone? with these things, would you do it for an immediate family member? friend? acquaintence? stranger? Tricky. For an immediate family member, or a close friend, I don't think I'd think twice. But I'm not sure about being a surrogate. I'm not convinced my body is the best to hang on to a baby, so I wouldn't want to add to the heartbreak.

* do you give away goods that you would be happy to keep, because you think someone else needs/would appreciate them more? I have previously (sheets, etc during the bushfires). Meals.

* what do you expect of others? do those expectations change based on anything (wealth, time available, upbringing, etc?) I would hope that if an act of kindness is given to them, then they would pay it forward to someone else who may be in need. If everyone did just one act of kindness to someone, then a little more happiness might filter through the world. It depressing enough to feel lonely, but when someone is there for you, makes you feel like a million dollars.

* how do you decide when to offer advice etc, and when to keep your thoughts to yourself? By judging the situation. Deciding if someone is having a vent, or looking for genuine help or answers. I don't try to give advice or suggestions to things I know nothing about, but if I'd experienced something in regards to what that person is going through, and they're looking for ways to get through it, or a different way to go about it, then I might offer my advice. But nobody has to take it!

* when you share in different ways, do you do it because you feel you should, or because you enjoy it, or because you think we all should, or other reasons? Sometimes I just want to. I love having people for dinner and sharing a meal with them. Love watching a movie with friends. Other times, I do it because I'm asked (the "Bring a plate" scenario). But saying that, like I said before, an act of kindness goes a long way. I only stop wanting to share when it is expected or demanded.

* do you find sharing and generosity hard to talk about in general? Nope. But it isn't something that usually comes up in general conversation, unless it's about teaching kids to share.

* what do you think the main influences on your views about all this to be? upbringing? spiritual beliefs and value system? your partner's views? what you want for your children? I've watched my parents over the years. They love having people around, sometimes up to 20 at a time, feeding them all, having a good night. Very rarely are they invited back to anyone's house for them to return the favour. I have learned not to expect anything. Anything that comes your way is a surprise and a delight. And I mean that in a broad sense - from someone just popping in to say hi, unexpectedly (I LOVE that!), to someone picking flowers from their garden for you. I guess you learn by example. I hope DD learns from watching us. From seeing us have a good time with friends and family. From watching me make a meal that we aren't going it eat, or drive someone somewhere because they need a lift. Life is too short. DH is the same. He enjoys helping people through the CFA, finds it really rewarding.

I think I've learned that you treat people how you wish to be treated. If you continually take from people and give nothing back, eventually people will stop associating with you. It doesn't take much to give back. Could be a simple phone call to say hey, thinking of you. I don't do things because I expect or want anything in return. I guess I do it for a bit of positivity in my life, a little bit of good karma.