Is this normal or should I be monitoring?

[NoWayNoHow]

DS is 4.3, and has recently started playfighting quite a lot. He doesn't really do it with other children, but there's a lot of running around punching the air and kicking and pretending the beanbag in the living room is a "baddie" and hitting it, etc.

So, as a first time mum of one with NO experience of boys (my family is all girls), is this just a harmless "boys will be boys" thing, or should I be discouraging him from this kind of role play?

Normal! I have 3 boys and they've all behaved in this way when little.

Normal! But for your own sanity and your house - try to limit how much of this goes on in the house. I also have 3 (now older) boys.

Phew, glad to gear it! Yes, he's not massively destructive - TBH he just looks like a little karate kid running around with a VERY serious face on!

No it's def not destructiveness, but remember when he gets a bit bigger or has friends around - just set a few house rules about it now, before it's too far along. Trust me - I know lol.

My ds is 8 and acts the same way..its mostly beating up imaginary "baddies" but he and his mates tend to play fight alot and pretend to batter each other with very minimal physical contact.. very light contact if any, sometimes they go a bit far and get rougher as they get more excited but then hes 8 and it seems to be a "boy thing". If its in our home we limit it to the hallway or their bedroom so things don't get wrecked along the way, but thats about it. I'd say just keep an ear and eye open but thats relevent in everything with kids so we can keep them on the right track as they learn through play and everything else they do. :)