How do you respond to your 3-year old's morbid and sadistic tendencies??

[kleist]

I'm sure it's all part of Growing Up. Hopefully not to be a serial killer. But my dd is getting more and more gruesome in her imagination. Partly I want to laugh when she comes out with these dire tales of woe in which favourite toys pour with blood and lie at the foot of a large tree while all manner of snakes, monsters, beasties etc. descend to tuck into their broken bodies while they writhe in terror and agony. But partly I think to myself 'hang on ... how exactly should I respond to all this ...'?

Anyone else a bit further down the line or in the same position with any thoughts?

Something's in the air at this age. My lovely ds has started to love the idea of blood. Also enjoys making up Noah's Ark stories in which all the other animals get eated in a gruesome fashion by the wolves. And my ds is very much a softy.
V amusign comments on other threads about small boys doing RE and becoming far too fascinated by the nailing to the cross bit.

Join in with him. You could be the dragon, he could be the slayer and spill your blood and guts all over the kingdom with his massive double edged sword.

Can you tell I've got 4 boys?

ooops, just noticed you said dd.

Still join in anyway.

DD is very into the Disney movies and acting out scenes with her dolls or anyone who she can persuade in. So if you are Ursula from little mermaid or one of the wicked step mothers, or Gaston you are guaranteed a gruesome time when you are "deaded".

Yes my ds (also 3) plays these sort of games often involving super heroes who kill the bad guys, cutting heads off etc. Funnily enough I got a paper cut last week, tiny bit of blood and ds was petrified. Wouldn't even look at it

There's a reason why fairy stories are always so gruesome.

Yes as I was reading Hansle and Gretal the other night I did think it was gruesome, and REd Ridin Hood, Sleeping Beauty etc.....

I think it's just the extent of her gruesome vocabulary even that gets to me! But it's a relief to know there are other little slayers about.

So, you all indulge their imaginary violence then?

Don't think it hurts to indulge them now and again. I'm sure they know it really is just play acting.

I am generally tending to indulge her I guess. It's just that when I do the scenarios get more and more extreme! But they are rather hilarious too.

I think that it is OK to indulge, but the occasional "ueew" is fine too. I seem to vaguely remember this stage, but I don't think it lasted long for us (too busy with dd's "then they kissed and had breakfast and they were married" phase)

Ah ... so I have the Romantic Phase to look forward to nooka?

If I was training to be a nurse dd would worship me! The closest we get is her ELC medical kit.

my 3yr old is fascinated by peters LVAD, lots of blood in there. all visible too. [puke]

Actually thinking about it, my two do play dead a lot with their ELC kit! But not particularly gruesomely, it's just "all very sad"

My mother has a seemingly endless supply of horrid, gruesome stories which she delights in sharing with my DCs and they hang on her every word!

I'm forever hissing out of the corner of my mouth as she launches into a 'wasn't that awful how that man threw his baby off the motorway bridge' that 'actually mum I think they really don't need to know about that at their age'. To be promptly interupted by 'Oh Mum, Nana was in teh middle of a really exciting story - now what did happen to the baby, and why did the naughty man do that'!

Grrrrrrrrr

soapbox.

But even if there isn't anyone telling them gruesome stories or things for them to see, they still make up the most dreadful scenarios. From where? What purpose does it fill? If I see dd's little gorilla beat up her little bear until he's a shivering bloody wreckage one more time ...