I have a 5yo who has started saying ‘i hate you mommy/daddy’ when they are really upset.
Would you let that chill - they don’t mean it they’re just kids and just upset?
Or try to curb that - set consequences for hurtful language?
We started early on with the rule being “we dont hate people, we hate actions.” It works to be able to reference that talk when we, the parents, want to say we hate something. That taught our kids that there are appropriate times for saying “hate”
Personally I would shrug it off, as I know it’s temporary and said in anger. But I do agree with FryerDan that hilighting the nuance is probably a good idea.
Shrugging it off is a good option if you can pull it off. If the child is used to getting a reaction, you should expect the behavior to escalate before petering out, though. This is true whenever you try to extinguish bad behavior that way.
The first time I heard it I had to suppress a chuckle. Ah, there it was, long expected. Everyone possibly said that at their parents in anger.
I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. These little humans have no control over their emotions and the output runs wild. It’s like when they fall down, the bigger deal you make the bigger deal it will be.