I don’t have children myself and I don’t have a lot of experience with children, but maybe I can offer some insight.

It is always hard to read a child’s mind and try to understand their intentions. In his mind, he might be trying to gauge an idea of right and wrong and consequences of situations gone wrong. Maybe he has a curiosity for understanding death. I remember a period when I was a young kid, I questioned life and I remember looking at my body and wondering why I had one and what would happen if it were gone. I remember I kept pestering my mother with questions, “Why am I alive?” and “What if I wasn’t here tomorrow?” Although these questions may be considered mild to what your grandson is saying, it is an example of how adults may misconstrue questions to mean something totally different.

Regardless, I would approach this situation with caution, because curiosity or not, there is a sure sign that he is letting the wrong kind of thoughts consume his mind. Has anyone tried to talk to him about what he says? Have they tried to grasp a better understanding of his actions or questions by actually asking him why he is doing what he is doing or why he is curious?

My next thought is maybe he sees an opportunity for attention through negative situations. Some kids are desperate for some form of attention from their parents and sometimes they do bad things to get it. Sometimes that is the only attention a child gets, sadly!

I’m not sure to what extent this has played out, but if his behavior continues and your efforts do not help the situation, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to seek counseling for him.