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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
My son is terrifying his friends by saying he's going to poison them
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
My son is terrifying his friends by saying he's going to poison them
by laryssas, Jul 15, 2004 12:00AM
My son is almost 5 and has a history of tactile defensivness. He has a problem with a child who is very hyper (can't sit still and hits) But now he's acting out against his friend by telling her he is going to poison her and her family and that he is going to shoot her dead and bury her. He appologized for poisoning her nanny NOT for SAYING that he was going to. He is insistant that he did this horrible act. What can I do? And before we get started he only watched pbs and disney chanel and is not allowed to watch commercials or violent cartoons.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Jul 16, 2004 12:00AM
, Jul 16, 2004 12:00AM
As you can tell, this behavior is indeed unusual. From a practical vantage point, set a firm limit with your son that such threatening comments are not permitted. Be sure he apologizes to the parties concerned. I think this behavior warrants an evaluation by a mental health professional because it is quite outside the spectrum of normal behavior. With a child so young, it's impossible to know what even he makes of the remarks, but it's best to proceed in a conservative way and seek an evaluation.
Member Comments (2)
by laryssas, Jul 16, 2004 12:00AM
Thank you. He is under the care of a therapist. We seem to get one unusual behavior under control only for him to create a new level of threat. I worry that it's escalating. I think it's due to a child at his day camp who can't seem to control his body. This other child when I saw him during story time repeatedly pick up and put down his chair and spun around. He wasn't bothering anyone but kept putting the chair down on my foot. He didn't seem aware of anyone else. My son has complained that this other child is hitting him and others. I've talked to the camp and they insist that the other child is very sweet and appologises if he hits. I didn't send my son to camp today and he seems more in control and responsive/cooperative.
