How old is this kid? Permanent front teeth and big.
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Anonymous
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I recently spent some time volunteering with my 5 year old son's kindergarten class, and there is one boy who looks to me to be not your average kindergartner. My kid is on the younger/smaller side anyway so I admit my perception may be off, but this boy looks like he belongs in a different grade - and, as it turns out, he's quite a handful from a behavioral perspective.
So - how old is a kid who has permanent front teeth (that have come all the way in) and is 6-8 inches taller than his average peers? I would have just assumed he's big for his age, but the permanent front teeth in a room full of kids with baby teeth struck me as odd. I fully expect to get flamed for this question, but I'm really curious and asking here is not going to have any impact of the kid. |
Anonymous
| I'm sure you have more pressing issues to worry about. Don't worry about the big kid in your DC's class. |
Anonymous
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My friend's five year old has already lost 3 of his teeth and they are growing back in, while her near 7 year hasn't lost even one.
He is also a a good couple of inches taller than the other kids because his parents are both 6 feet or taller. So I would be careful about judging age. |
Anonymous
| I have a 7yo second grader who has only lost 2 teeth; we know lots of kindergarteners and first graders who seem to have a full set of adult teeth. According to our dentist, there's a lot of variation. All that said, you really should get over the inspection of your child's classmates. My 7yo is huge, the tallest kid in almost every situation, but he has a late spring birthday and is one of the younger ones in his class. It really bugs me when I hear parents speculating about who has been redshirted; you really don't have any way to know, and ultimately it's none of your business. |
Anonymous
| I'm pretty sure I got my adult front teeth at 5.5, and I wasn't particularly big for my age. |
Anonymous
| My son is tall for his age (95th percentile) and lost his two front teeth in the fall of his kindergarten year. |
Anonymous
But how old was your kid the fall of his K year? |
Anonymous
OP here. It's not the size that made me ask, it's the teeth! My son was in a pre-K class with a child who was a full head (or more) taller than any other child - looked like he could have been a third grader - and it never really occurred to me to wonder how old he was - some people are just tall. The world of permanent front teeth is a new one to me, though. I thought kids don't usually start getting permanent teeth until 1st grade, and it takes a while for them to fully come in. It's not like it's going to forever remain a mystery how old this child is. The kids have birthday parties and don't hide their ages. |
Anonymous
Thanks, this is interesting. I know there is a range but I thought it started later. |
Anonymous
| OP, who cares what you thought? You were obviously wrong. Please get yourself a hobby. |
Anonymous
Why so defensive? Is your child's dentition secretly revealing more than you imagined? |
Anonymous
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Basically, he could be on the old side of 5 or he could be 6.
Why do you care? I have a 2 year old who is an october birthday, and extremely tall for his age: 38.5 inches. He's taller than several of the kids in my 4 year olds' class. By October of the year he starts kindergarten he will be 6, and will probably be the height of an average 8 year old if he stays on this growth curve. It sorta bugs me to think that someone could be asking this question about my son in a few years, with the hint that there is something wrong with such a kid. |
Anonymous
| I have a kindergartener who is 28 lbs and 37 inches tall. When we registered people assumed I had brought my toddler with me. I would hate like hell if OP were posting about her like this. ("Not your average kindergartner" OMIGOD!!!) |
Anonymous
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OP back again. In the interest of full disclosure, the teeth made me initially wonder, but I'm more of a "huh, when do kids get perm teeth?" sort of way - but the kid's behavior, paired with what seem like clear physical signs that he's older than the average kindergarten bear, made me REALLY wonder - was this a child "given the gift of time" to allow him to become more mature? If so, was maturity really the issue, or does this child flat out have behavioral challenges?
To be clear, I don't think he's a bad kid - he's very welcoming and nice to my kid in particular, and my kid enjoys playing with him. But the boy clearly struggles a lot with paying attention and staying on task, or reigning in his energy in general. It made me wonder if the notion that young boys are inherently more immature - but will be more "ready" a year later - really just masked something that could have gotten attention earlier. I am now preparing myself to REALLY get flamed. |
Anonymous
Really, if you're going to get all riled up about anonymous postings that in no way identify a specific kid, you're going to have a tough road. You have a tiny child. Expect people to wonder about something (or someone) that falls outside the range of normal. The alternative is parents whispering to one another about your child - whereas here, no one knows this is about Bobby Jones in Miss Smith's class. FYI, my DD is tiny for her age and no one believes how old she is either. Look on the bright side: everyone will assume your child is advanced. |