Learning to Read - changing the words on the page

As my son was allegedly "learning" to read, he would make some of the following changes to words on the page:


"three angles" on the page, he says, "triangle"
"Holy Trinity" on the page, he says "God" (or vice versa)
"Mary" on the page, he says "Mother of God"

His mind was seeing the words and interpreting them - and the words coming out of his mouth were on the same topic, and appropriate, but NOT what was on the page.


Makes me wonder ---- all these years later.... is it possible my son was already reading at 2 and 3, but because he wasn't speaking, he wasn't sharing what he was reading (and Montessori does not require reading out loud from the youngest children - they should read and match labels with objects, follow commands, etc. - other ways of showing their comprehension ---- or practicing the words away from the adult and reading the words aloud when comfortable).


I wonder if some of our angst could have been spared if I had adjusted my in-the-moment expectations and just trusted that he COULD read (even when he was reading aloud, then afterward saying he couldn't read because some girl at school told him he couldn't).....