Dear Care and Feeding,
I’ve noticed that my 5-year-old daughters have become increasingly macabre in their imaginative play in ways that would put Charles Manson to shame. In the bathtub recently, one of them happily took a baby doll and pretended that she was “cutting her open to see what was inside and make her die by taking out parts of her and putting poison in her.” Shudder. Given that everything else about their behavior is completely within the normal range (they have a safe and loving home, they are well behaved in school, we don’t allow them to watch violent media), I have to rationally conclude that this must be “normal,” and it is unlikely that my daughters will grow up to be psychopathic serial killers. I think the appeal of it is that it’s a safe way for my daughters to explore boundaries, by doing things that are egregiously “bad” or “yucky” without consequences. Maybe it indicates that they are actually beginning to develop a moral compass through understanding right and very, very wrong. But man, if it doesn’t chill me to the bone! Should I continue to let them explore as long as their behavior remains OK, or should I intervene and talk to them about these “dark” urges?