Any advice is really welcome here.
I honestly am stuck with how to be a good mum to my 6 year old son. He's a lovely boy - so sweet and affectionate and so gentle with his younger brother (who is just sunny and polite and easy going and lovely). He has friends in school and we always get glowing reports at parents evening.
When he was four and a half, he'd been at school for 2 weeks and he came home and said "mummy, I can read now." He bloody well could. Everything. Fluently and expressively and with understanding. So, he devoured all the kids books we fed him. He's now six and he has read all of the Harry Potter books, the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables, the Secret Garden, and is now reading Tom Sawyer with gusto. He doesn't just 'read' them - he really has a very advanced understanding of character, plot and so on. He's decided he doesn't want to read with me in the evenings any more, because I read too slowly and he wants to know what's happening next, and he wants a kindle for Christmas and has a list of books he wants to have on it.
So, the problem I have is that he can read like a 12 year old - but he wants the responsibilities of a 12 year old too. He has specifically set out the chores that he wants to do, and how much he would like to be paid for them (all very reasonable and within our means). He wants to decide when he goes to bed - and when we let him do this, he goes at a reasonable time, on his own, nicely. He wanted to take responsibility for his own homework and not have us review it - and he's been doing much, much better since (we've secretly reviewed it after he's gone to bed!) He wants to be able to 'earn' going on the computer when he wants to - and is willing to do whatever we want him to to earn this.
I'm typing this and I think this is a me problem, isn't it? He's so lovely, and so sweet - and so young sometimes - he wants cuddles and kisses and just to chat with me and show me some leaf or twig he's collected. I don't know what to do - to give him the responsibilities that he wants, or to treat him like a 6 year old. I want him to be 6, really, I don't want him to be so grown up so soon. He is a 6 year old after all. I'm so proud of him for being so independent and smart - but I don't know what to do - I don't want to make him feel that he's old before his time or give him too much to do or cost him his childhood by making him do chores for cash! I don't want to lose my snuggles and reading and closeness with him. I was prepared for this when he was 12, but this feels so soon! I want to do right by him so badly - just for him to be ok - to be happy - but I'm sort of lost as to how to let him be himself whilst still taking care of him the way 6 year olds need to be taken care of.
HELP!
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6 year old son too clever by half
13 replies
Criddy · 29/11/2014 22:39
OP posts:
DixieNormas ·
30/11/2014 11:11
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