Why so much violence/aggression in his play?

echowysp2

It's sort of a rhetorical question because I've seen a lot of boys playing this way, but I just am still amazed at how many violent images are in his pretend play.  Superheros "smashing!" bad guys.  Sharks "killing!" fish.  Telling jokes with punchlines about the creature in the joke being smashed or dead.   When his sister falls or whatever, saying "Maybe she's going to die?"  Grumpy face is a common look lately too.

I don't think he's super violent, like a problem, but man, my sweet quiet boy is no more.  He can be very sweet, but lately, he's so "boy".  At preschool, the teacher mentioned how he's finally warming up to the other kids and "playing rough" with the other boys. I said I don't want him rough housing because I worked hard on getting him to stop hitting his friends back when he was younger, but it seems how the boys often relate to each other.

Nature vs nurture from grad school in my own home...lol.  Dd, on the other hand, loves her babies and will change their diapers and cover them up for naps.  She walks around with her "pretty shoes" on.  She wants to do makeup.  I'm not a girly girl, so it isn't coming from me.