Please help. (name changed)
My son is four and has started reception. Up until starting, he was thoughtful and empathetic. He was an early talker and is very bright, already desperate to do sums and reading etc.
However he has been having some trouble at school. He has been hitting and poking others.
He's done this to me in the past and I have to admit it's not very hard, it's not a wallop, but more of an annoyance to others, I think.
Obviously we have spent a lot of time talking through this and why it is wrong.
I asked him yesterday why he did it, and he said something that really chilled me. He said, "to see if they would cry".
I am terrified. My little boy is a real darling at home, and we try to adhere to gentle parenting. However, for context, my grandparent is a violent sociopath, obviously my son has never met them.
I'm terrified I'm fighting against genes here.
Please help.