DS reading in bed making himself ill.

[Fo0ffyShmo0ffer]

I really don't want to remove his books. I love the fact that he loves to read.
BUT
He wakes between 6.00 and 6.30 am everyday without fail. We had to tell him not to read in bed. He says ok then sneaks books. We go up rumble his plan, get cross take the book and go downstairs. The following morning he wakes up completely knackered, looks like he haunts houses for a living and I find a stash of books hidden in pillowcases, u see the bed, wrapped in towels. I want him to do the right thing. We've explained the effect it's having on him we want him to make the right decision himself.
Removing all his books just doesn't sit right with me. I'm an avid reader and I'm thrilled he loves books but not to the detriment of his health.
He is almost 10 and I just wondered if anyone had any ideas or would the consensus be remove the books?

under the bed

My dd is the same, and has form for waking at 2:30 and reading til dawn. Have started putting her to bed earlier to counteract it.

well, he can't FORCE himself to wake up can he? unless he is setting an alarm? so i would suggest that perhaps that is just the time he naturally wakes up?
it's a reasonable time for a child to wake tbh

and he reads until it's time to get up.

if he is very tired then he needs to go to bed earlier. reading books isn't making him ill.

How about he goes to bed earlier to read?

My Op isn't clear.
It's reading the books at bedtime that's the issue. Not morning.
Of course 6.00 to 6.30 is the time he is waking naturally and as we are already up anyway, he gets up.
When he goes to bed he reads. And reads.
We check on him. We take the book. Turn out his light. Sneaks another book. Turns light back on. Reads more. This is the issue.

Take the books away. Reading is a 'good thing' but, like everything else, there's a time and a place and you have to keep things in proportion. Making sure he gets a good night's sleep is currently more important than indulging his love of reading. Give them back at the weekend, perhaps, but remove again come Sunday.

Thankyou

I may start with removing the books during the week and giving them back at the weekend
If this goes well for a while then possibly allow a few back under the proviso he go to bed earlier if he wants to read for a while.
I know it seems like an obvious solution but sometimes when I'm over thinking things, as I do, the obvious doesn't present itself.

ohhhh i see, sorry!

not much advice i'm afraid as I was the same as a child! i just loved reading, and also didn't easily fall asleep so it was nice to lie and read a book.

have you tried having a lights out policy? so he can read when he goes up to bed but lights all go out at 8.30 or something? and keep peeping to make sure he isn't using a torch?

that way he still gets to read, but he has a set time when he has to stop?

Thisisyesterday - we did try that and the little bugger DID have a torch. and it was his sisters Peppa Pig torch. Now that's desperation.

It's foot down time.

My Ds(10) loves reading too, but the rule is light at 8.30 and no more 'til morning (about 6.00). There should be no need to remve books at that age. Lights out at 8.30 or no readiing at all. He needs to learn the rule.

foo i may suggest you check you dont have a handy street light close by too .that was one not even my dad could stop

but yes think maybe book out bedroom and then reguar pop in to check not got one stashed away

THC that didn't even occur to me! I did this but I was older 13/14 not 9.

Oh we are going to have this problem soon We already get loads of complaints when we put the lights out (from both of them! - DS is 4, DD only 2!! so they can't even read the books properly yet...) and DS has just figured out that if he stands on his bathroom step he can now just reach his lightswitch Think we will just have to do regular checks until he's asleep...

I can't really complain though cos I know where they got it from

Check if the landing light seeps through the crack (including on hinge side) of an ajar bedroom door. That little shaft of light, if it falls across the head end of the bed, is enough.

I used to love reading in bed and stay up too late. Is the issue partly what he's reading? A really gripping, pacey page-turner is maybe not bed time material. Maybe save those for daytime/downstairs and something else for bedtime?

When I was a child, I was known to set the alarm for around 5am so I could read

I've no advice. I turned out all right

Could you put a story tape/CD on for him? DD1 (9) listens to a story as she's going off to sleep, but because she's listening rather than reading, it doesn't seem to keep her awake.

My ds 9, will also do this when he has a good book (as did I), I have said to him you must stop at 9.15 - lights out, and he does adhere to this. I go up at 9 to asay goodnight and warn him 9.15 is coming. He also regularly wakes 6/6.30 and has never needed to be woken in the morning for school - so he would seem to be getting enough sleep.

I used to read by the small red light of my electric blanket switch when I was young! To make you feel better - I did go on to get a top mark in my English degree! I really understand where your son is coming from; once I start a book I literally cannot stop. I love books more than almost anything.

Maybe he will go on to be a great writer?

That's the thing. He gets so utterly gripped. It's only about 6 months since I stopped reading to him at night and he would beg for one more chapter, one more page, well then half a page.
I could live with great writer

I worry about his eyesight. All that straining in bad light.

If it's his eyesight you're worried about OP, then why not just him a brighter (daylight bulb?) light to read by?

I thought the thing about getting eyestrain from reading in bad light was a myth though?

What does your DS say about it? Does he feel all this reading is making him ill, or is it making him happy to have so many fabulous books?

Another childhood reading-machine here, I'm afraid! I've got more books I want to read than I've got life left to read them. Wish I had read more when I was young, if anything....Not helpful, I know!

Well he will swear blue that he is absolutely fine but he looks dreadful, huge shadows under his eyes. Lately he seems shattered when he comes out of school. It seems to be having a knock on effect.
I'm going to discuss a few of these ideas with him and DH later. I think we should be able to come up with a solution we're all happy with.