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!

Normal in my house too.

So glad to hear my children are not the only ones.

My DS2 says this sort of thing a lot. He also tells his little brother that he is going to kill him quite a lot. He says it in a pretty matter of a fact way without a hint of agression.

Cant say I like it but when we used to challenge him he just looked at us as if were a bit mad.

Also normal in my house.

"I would take an obviously silly statement like "I am going to chop your head off and then you can cook me dinner" as a sign that a child is actually very sheltered and is fortunate enough not to have any personal experience of violence. "

Oh,I agree completely Cory. I did mean that post to be lighthearted, top illustrate how nornmal this kind of daft comment is.

This is a boy who gets upset by adopt a tiger ads, and wants to sponsor all the boys and girls who get poorly etc.

Apols for crap spelling, getting toward my bedtime

My DS1 is only 5 so he hasn't quite got to this level - but his keen on 'If you dont do......' then 'I will stop loving you/smack you/light sabre your head off etc etc etc'

No doubt by the time he is 7 he will be 'killing himself or me'

totally normal here for about 6 months, he seems to have stopped now though, probably got sick of being totally ignored.
He once threatened to kill himself after being denied a third packet of chocolate animal biscuits before bed. He is 5 years old btw.
I think all kids go through this stage, its just the first tentative and not very subtle attempt at emotional blackmail.

Hee! when ds was 3 I heard a bloodcurdling scream from dh in the sitting room. When I asked, 'what are you doing to Dada?' he popped his head over the back of the sofa and brightly said, 'torchring,' before promptly returning to his gruesome duties.
We've also had unpalatably early morning discussions about 'dog guts' this one went on on for ages - no idea why or where the fascination sprang from.

Feel a thread on 'most bloody/sweary/floor swallowing things said by DCs' coming on ...

May I open the bidding with, 'No dinner for me you C*s''
Age: 3 1/2
venue: poshish, waterfront (voice carries) bistro

My 4 year old has screamed: "I'd like to see you lying dead in the road, you GIT". At me.

I think there is possibly a time to worry about children saying they want to kill themselves - in older children who have very poor self-esteem, in the context of saying many negative things about themselves, maybe as a result of bullying. Doesn't mean they really know what it means, or that they have any intention of doing it, but it is an expression of deep unhappiness, and should be taken seriously.

Otherwise, I totally agree that happy children will say it occasionally

Agree with Jamie- again. If older children start saying lots of negative things, and "I'd be better off dead" is part of a wider picture, then you do need to be careful; even if they're not actually going to do it, it can be a sign of unhappiness.

thanks cory - your poor DS