Is this normal?

I have a six year old son. He's a sweet, tender-hearted boy..most of the time. But he has displayed some behavior that disturbs me. When he was five years old I found him outside, sneaking into the neighbors chicken coupe, holding a bat in his hands. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that he wanted to kill a chicken to see what it would look like dead! Also, he used to have a fish tank in his room. He started off with three fish in it. Soon, there was only one left (fish don't last very long!). So my son went into his room, reached into the fish tank and pulled off the tail of the last fish. He told me that if he couldn't have three fish, he didn't want any. I was terribly disturbed by this. Also, he has told me on many occasions that he wishes I were dead so he could go live with his grandma. (he says that she plays with him all day long, and I don't). Is this normal behavior for a 5-6 year old boy? What to do?

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Mitzy,

The behavior you describe is not normal for any child. It indicates some innerturmoil and anger, the nature of which calls for clinical evaluation. It would be wise to seek a mental health consultation. This will clarify the nature of the anger and what degree of problem it represents. It is not necessarily a sign of serious psychological disturbance, but by all means should be assessed.