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5 yr old violence normal ?

Kelly - posted on 02/22/2012 ( 4 moms have responded )

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I am working night shift and just called home to find out there has been an incident with 5 yr old Fionna and our cat Mokey. My fiance ran out to his car real quick and when he looked in the kitchen window he saw Fionna pinning Mokey down to the floor and hitting her in the head with a closed fist. Mokey is okay and but we don't know what to do about this. I don't understand how Fionna could have learned violence, I don't understand where the urge to be violent came from, this just doesn't make any sense at all. We are such a loving and affectionate family, always giving hugs, kisses and snuggles. When my fiance was questioning her she apparently said she learned it from iCarly [kids show on Nickelodeon] where one character was doing something similar to another character. But she makes up a lot of stories and I don't know where it really came from. I am worried about this situation, what do you think?

He was away in Boston all weekend on a business trip and has been back two days, now I am away at work. I think that somehow this behavior is stemming from our work schedules and us not being consistently home. I have been working this shift nearly three years and although is it hard on all of us we have never seen her act out this way before. We have had this two year cat since January and Fionna has tried to learn to be very gentle and affectionate toward her. Never showing any sign of resentment. We teach her not to pin her to the floor and trap her in rooms, but it is a difficult process for her to understand since this is our first pet.



We are so worried about this, not really sure what to do or what to think.

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4 Comments

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Lisamarie - posted on 06/19/2012

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Hey, I agree with what the others said but just wanted to add, without insulting anyone, that I personally do not allow my daughter to watch certain programmes, I am all for age appropriate toys, tv and films, my children watch cartoons and that is all and sometimes even some of them are off limits ( I may be a little over-protective) For example; I cannot stand Horrid Henry!! Why would anyone want their child watching another child being naughty?
Anyway, good luck!

Amy - posted on 06/07/2012

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I agree with you thinking it could be coming from you both being away so much. I think she really needs more time with you. She is looking for attention, and obviously needs some more consistent discipline and probably a solid routine she can depend on...

Good luck -
Amy

Erin - posted on 05/04/2012

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I agree, it does feel silly, but I've found that doing something quite similar helped our 5 y/o learn to respect our cats. Carrying on a little "conversation" with the kitties about how they felt after he upset them helped him look at them more like little furry people, than targets for his toys or rambunctious behavior. He's still getting the full hang of it, but I keep it up, and when he does something that scares one of them, he will apologize now and give them kisses.. and try not to do it again. Hope you've found a solution.. or will find one.. good luck.

Risa - posted on 03/03/2012

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Not sure if this will help, but sometimes when my son gets too rough with our dog I'll react quickly by tending to the dog and giving him extra attention. I'll talk to the dog (I know that sounds crazy) and say things like "Oh! Are you okay?! Dylan was sitting on you? Oh no! Well, I'll talk to Dylan and let him know how much that hurts you and makes you sad." My son stares in awe and then quickly apologizes to the dog and seems genuinely remorseful. You may look/feel silly pretending that you and your cat are having a conversation, but it might make your daughter see the cat differently... she may develop a sort of respect for the cat. I've always tried to make it a point to reiterate to my son the fact that our pets are alive and can feel pain just like we do, but there's something about faking communication with our pets that has made him understand it a whole lot better. I hope this helps, even if just a tiny bit.

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