DS fibbing around number fo pages read - should I be concerned?

[mckenzie]

DS is nearly 7 and has always been quite advanced with his reading skills (behind on writing but ahead on reading so it all levels out ) I usually sit down with him and he reads out loud to me but sometimes, if I am trying to get 3 year old DD to bed etc, I will ask him to start reading by himself. When I go in to him, maybe 5 minutes later, he will try and tell me he is now on page 43, having been on page 3 when I left the room!! When I then ask questions about what has happened in the story he just guesses an answer. When I question him about the fact this he's lying he either denies it or just goes all sheepish and said he didn't mean to lie. These are books that he has chosen to 'read' by the way, not books that I am trying to force on him.
Any ideas plesae for how, if at all, I should handle this?

TIA

It sounds like fairly typical behaviour. Why such pressure for him to read?

That's an interesting one. Is he trying to please you by pretending he's even better at reading than he really is? If he's always been praised for his v. good reading skills, maybe he thinks he needs to do even better to earn more praise?

Hellllllloooooooooo!!!

People have bothered to respond, dontcha know!

Stop asking him what page he's on. It doesn't matter.

Say "that was fast!" and leave him to it. If this is reading for pleasure not homework, why make an issue of it?

Just casually ask him to talk you through the bits of the story you missed while you were out of the room

I don't share the (seemingly majority on MN) view that telling lies as a young child equates to a devil child that will end up becoming a master conman or worse!

I think lying is an intrinsic part of childhood and indeed adulthood!

We're all on the same hymnbook, soap.

Lying is normal.

Since you haven't had the courtesy to come back to the thread you started (and advance apologies is something has gone awry), I have to say that you sound a bit demanding of him.

Why would you question a seven year old about his story?

Life is hard enough, I reckon.

Maybe mckenzie, unlike you two Desi and Soapbox, and unlike me, goes to bed at a sensible time for someone with two young children and isn't online after 11 pm. Perhaps she'll come back to see if anyone has any suggestions in the morning/tomorrow night.

I really should say goodnight and go to bed myself now!

Oh, no, elk. Starting a thread is like having a baby. You have to stay and nurture it

I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembers that childhood was one long tissue of lies- and so is adulthood (no, it is in the post, really it is!)

On some MN threads posters seem to end up expecting such high moral standards of their children that I for one wonder if I could live with such paragons.

It does sound like he feels under pressure to "perform" - if these are just books he's reading for "pleasure" then why the questioning? Maybe just back off, and make sure you praise him for other things too, then he wont feel pushed.

thank you all for the replies and very sorry that after posting I disappeared. I was given an assignment back yesterday from college and was told that I passed BUT i could make a few changes and pass with full marks. When I had posted this I had decided that a pass was good enough for me and to leave it at that and then suddenly, something got the better of me and I decided to spend a couple of hours/waste a couple of hours making said changes. It was way gone midnight by the time I turned off the computer so I wouldn't have digested any of this properly and so decided to return to day. I'm really sorry if I have upset anyone by not coming back straight away as I do really appreciate the comments.

All points have been taken on board - thank you. I dont know why he pretends to have read more. I dont think it is to get praise although of course I could be wrong but I think we are quite generous with our praise anyway in general.
I don't expect him to read every evening, it's just somehting that we do, not every night but most. part of the wind down, lets get ready for bed routine I guess. If I left him to it he would be in his room reading but probably an encyclopedia rather than a novel type book.

Desiderata - I questioned him about the story to give him the chance to say "sorry mum, I was fibbing, I didn't really read all those pages". I didn't question hom aggressively though, casually more like (or so I like to think).

I think I will go for the 'oh have you dear' kind of approach next time then huh?

thanks again for all the replies and apologies for not checking in last night.

just in case anyone adds anything tonight - I'm having a night off studying and I'm out now to see Sex in the City! Will check for updates when I return. TIA

Ah, bless you mckenzie. I was a bit crotchety, wasn't I !

I think you're right to go with the 'have you dear?' approach. Whatever his reasons, they'll be perfectly valid from a nearly seven-year-old's perspective

Well done for passing your assignment!

Hope you enjoyed the film more than the critics have!

I loved it elkiedee but then I have never seen any of the series so maybe that makes it easier for me to like it.
Thanks for the congrats re assignment Desiderata. The end is in sight as far as all that is concerned. Thanks goodness.

Good lass! What are you doing?

morning Desiderata, I'm doing the YMCA Personal Trainer and advanced fitness instructor modules, with nutrition and business and marketing thrown in. Assignments all done, practical exams all done and written exams next week then one verbal exam week after and hopefully, that's me done