this is disturbed behaviour from a child

[ElenorRigby]

This evening I was getting my nearly 3yo out her car seat when I heard 2 young boys (oldest about 8, youngest 4ish) shouting at (I assume) a male relative across the way saying this...
"If you don't give our playstation back, we will kill ourselves" Adult replied I could not hear what he said. The older child replied with words to the effect of "we want our playstation, do you want us to die?"
I was like WTF!?
I then heard the older boy say behind us "dont do that there's a little girl there"

I found the whole thing very odd. I have a 7 1/2yo DSD who would never ever say such things, such words would never enter her darkest imaginings!

Just some over dramatic kids testing their power. I wouldn't worry.

My darling 9 yr old comes out with this occasionally - we ignore him

they are just testing and little one has heard his big brother im sure.

Thats kids for you ...

normal.

Dd1 says things like that from time to time. My stock response is usually "Well I would be very, very sad if you suffocated yourself. So would dd2, because we love you very, very much. But I am not happy with your behaviour and you are being punished for that."

My drama queen 4 year old has come out with some corkers in her time, though she's usually threatening to kill me and eat my soul rather than sacrifice herself.

What can I say, she has something of the night about her...

Without any supporting context, I wouldn't see this as necessarily something to worry about.

yep agree with the others - though I agree it is when you first hear kids that age say it.

Now I give a response something along the lines of Shiny's

My older one has said such things. I know other friends' children have too

LOL I still remember my little brother aged 3, sitting cross-legged on the floor glaring up at me with big bale ful eyes and saying

"I 'ope you DIE!!!!!!!"

it's normal

obnoxious, but normal

When you are eight, you don't have many strong verbal weapons at your disposal. Not once you've worked out I hate you/I'm going to run away/I wish I was adopted doesn't get much of a rise.

My DDs are such drama queens - they spout this sort of thing occasionally.

my 5 year old says this

it stems from him saying he would kill people if they didn't let him have/do what he wanted. I told him he mustn't say that, so now he says he'll kill himself instead

if it's not normal, why do so many children do it?

Shineon Im with youL Like I said my 7 1/2yo DSD would never think to say such a thing, I cant even imagine those words coming from her.

it is perfectly normal

most children say something like this at some point, as edam says they are casting around for something extreme to say, because they have strong feelings just as adults do, but their options are limited

I work with preschool aged children and it really isn't uncommon even at their age

Nobody can imagine their child saying something like that if you don't have a particularly imaginative, melodramatic child.

Ds2 is prone to this "I cannot climb the stairs I am SO tired I might fall over sleeping and fall down the stairs and all my tummy will fall out and I will DIE! Carry me."

really, it's the whiny negative equivalent of him being a "super sonic, super sonic, super sonic GOLDEN DWAGON who will EAT you and be giant and have fwames and wocket boosters ahhhhahahahahaaaaaaa!"

I just can't imagine my DS saying it, but my DD is a drama queen. Colditz, I am in awe of your DS2 - he'll go far!

he'll go to bloody borstal, mutter mutter

He's awesome, really. SO funny. he visibly sags at the knees if we are leaving somewhere fun and wails "NOOOOOOOOOOOO oh why are we leaving, our house is horrible and you never take us anywhere...." etcetc

DSD and DD are very imaginative, intelligent kids.
No threats to kill themselves though and of course very little knowledge of death and dying.
DSD has been upset by the death of my dog J, who was a good friend to her, but she only only remembers him with sorrow not anger.

Yes, my middle DS has said before he just 'wishes he was dead' if he isn't allowed something.

pmsl colditz.