Question
My 4yo son tends to create detailed fictional accounts. On the one hand I feel amazed with his creativity, but I also worry that he seems to get too immersed in these stories that I wonder if he distinguishes fact from fiction. My husband says he has a sense for drama and embellishment. As an example, a few weeks ago we went to the zoo and there were a LOT of bees, which the kids took notice of and we had to evade at some points. When we were leaving, I think dust or something got into Felipe’s eyes. It was clearly bothering him but he went on to make up an elaborate story about how a bee had bit him in the eye. The more he told it, the more he seemed to believe it. A few days ago, as he was falling asleep he told me another made up account with convincing details. He started telling me that earlier in the day he left school with a classmate and all the fun things they did afterwards. All these things he tells me with a straight face. What do you make of what he is doing and how should I react to it?
Answer
When he shares a tall tale like these, smile and give him a gentle touch and say, "Buddy, you are using your imagination in a wonderful way. I love the story you are telling me. It is very creative”.
Then say back to him 2 or more things he said that make the story creative.
This way he learns to discern between his imagination and the truth. He is storytelling and it's a wonderful thing. Label it as imagination and congratulate him about it and you may just inspire a future writer.
This is less about lying and more about separating the fact from his imagination. What's neat about it, is that most kids keep those imaginary stories in their head and your little one is actually sharing them with you.