We cannot escape the influences of other people—from the playground to the boardroom. The dynamics of the sandbox never end. Where there are humans, of whatever age, there are human dynamics and conflicts. There will be those competing for the shovel and those fighting for the bucket. Others will be there just to hang out in the sand or to engage in cooperative play. There will be the one who throws sand in the eyes of the other. There will be the one who helps and calls for an adult to intervene. There will be the one who is too vulnerable and reticent even to enter the sandbox. Some will parallel play while others will interact in their play. Some will exit the sandbox crying, others will skip away happy. Some will be refused entry into the sandbox. 

This simple box with sand, a shovel, and a pail is designed for having fun and thriving. However, this space can become an environment for complex human behavior to play out. Often it will mimic the primitive ancestral history of these children and foreshadow the emotional and behavioral patterns that will follow them into the workplace.

The manager of this sandbox will have a complicated job because this simple sandbox is just not that simple.