Violent talk in Elementary age children

[DaughterOfKali]

I'm wondering how typical/normal it is for children aged 7-8 to say things like "kill 'em" , etc.

There are some kids in ds's class that are saying it and I don't remember that kind of talk when I was teaching.

Does/did your son say things with the word kill in it at that age?

[mamazee]

It depends. Are they literally talking about killing people? No, I don't think that's normal. Or are they using the term "kill 'em" as slang as in beat someone really badly in a sport or other competition? That's been going on for generations and I think kids are still using that slang.

[Alyantavid]

From my experience with my boys and with their friends, it's very normal. They play army type games, they play hunting games. I think it's pretty typical development in boys.

[Storm Bride]

I can remember kids talking like that when I was in school, in the early 70s. I think it's pretty normal.

[Girlprof]

I just volunteered in my son's 2nd grade class this morning. They had to write fantasy stories about hippos. In a group of five kids, we had:

Someone having the hippo electrocute her sister
Someone (my DS) "torturing" the hippo with too tight handcuffs
Someone's guinea pig being squashed by the hippo

One kid didn't get far enough for the hippo to do anything at all and I forgot what the fifth kid wrote. I think this sort of thing is very normal. It's actually way more graphic than "just" killing, but it seems to be part of play and making things exciting.

[mamazee]

My dd and her friend play funeral. That seems morbid to me, but it doesn't seem abnormal. I don't know which of them has actually been to a funeral, but it's pretty accurate.

I thought you meant they were actually threatening to kill each other, like literally. If it's just play killing, then yes I think it's normal.

[sillygrl]

I know my kids have become fairly intrigued with death and how it happens and what happens afterward. First, their great-grandfather died and now their dad is deployed in Iraq. They are 7 (almost 8), 6 and 4. So, they talk about way people die and sometimes that involves "killing." To me, it seems like their way of trying to understand something fairly complex, that everyone faces...

And each is at a different level, so the way they talk/play about it is different for each. My 6 yr old just yesterday was talking about the fire drill they had at school and said it was important to get out of the building otherwise the fire would, "burn me up and kill me." To me, it's a little bit of a shock to hear him talk like that but again, I think it's him processing the danger and etc.

I would be concerned if the kids were actually threatening someone, though.

[phathui5]

I think violent play/talk is pretty normal. My 9yo ds and his friends run around talking about "getting" and "killing" each other pretty often.

[DaughterOfKali]

Ds said that one boy said "Kill ____" (insert classmates name)
All because that one boy isn't friends with the boy he wants to 'kill'.

So, apparently, the other boys all started talking like that.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali

Ds said that one boy said "Kill ____" (insert classmates name)
All because that one boy isn't friends with the boy he wants to 'kill'.

however when a new kid hurt my dd she wanted us to go over and beat that child up. one time she has done it when she was 5. that was her first and ever physical beating she got. it was dd's fault and the little girl who kicked her had 4 older brothers. dd was absolutely furious and needed at least a couple of hours to cool down and see the part she played.

so i can see a kid in anger using the kill term.

not very common i would say but i can see them saying it.