Why is redshirting so common around here?

[Anonymous]

It's common pretty much everywhere, just not around here.

[Anonymous]

I red shirted my August 25th daughter for no other reason than she really needed that extra year to socially mature. Kindergarten would have been a disaster for her if I had sent her a week after turning 5. She just was not ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is common is any affluent area. The belief is that it gives boys an edge in academics, social skills and athletics. It was the same where I grew up (Lake Forest, Illinois).

+1 Beverly Hills born and raised - it was the same here in my parent's generation. My father redshirted for sports.

Just look at "Beverly Hills, 90210" - most of them were in their 30's in high school.

lol

[Anonymous]

Well, I don't know, I didn't redshirt my boy with a summer birthday, but given that kindergarten has now become considerably more academic than even 1st grade was when I was a kid, I can understand why people might.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Older person posting here. My older brother was an early reader so they put him a year "ahead" (December birthday--he could have been either the oldest or the youngest in his DC Public School class.) My mom worked, so I think she was happy to have him go early. It really was difficult for him socially and athletically, even though he could keep up academically with no problem. But he was quite unhappy. When my younger brother, also a December birthday, came up, there was no question: they held him back. He was a superstar athletically. Ironically, he struggled academically so they were glad he was a year "behind" in that sense.
Every child is different. I red-shirted my small daughter because she is so tiny and she has special needs (learning disabled). She has many friends and enjoys being the oldest.
It's a shame that we spend so much time investing in competitive, comparative, and second-guessing activities, but that's human nature.

I skipped a grade. Socially and academically no problem. I did struggle a lot at PE, but I'm not sure whether it was because I was younger or whether I was
just really unathletic. I'm thinking the second.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's common pretty much everywhere, just not around here.

It's not that common in other places. IT's common here because people work too much and don't have time to parent their kids. When the kids get to K age, they aren't ready socially or academically because their parents neglected them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's common pretty much everywhere, just not around here.

It's not that common in other places. IT's common here because people work too much and don't have time to parent their kids. When the kids get to K age, they aren't ready socially or academically because their parents neglected them.

[Anonymous]

OP's post does not add up. Even if there were a redshirting phenomenon going on there would still be an equal distribution of birthdays throughout the year. Is she saying parents are purposefully having summer and fall babies now?

[Anonymous]

That argument makes NO sense.

Working parents have their kids in daycare. Those kids are being socialized and are getting used to a classroom setting.

[Anonymous]

OMG this topic has been done to death. Search this forum. Search the Gen Ed forum. Stop you're whining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP's post does not add up. Even if there were a redshirting phenomenon going on there would still be an equal distribution of birthdays throughout the year. Is she saying parents are purposefully having summer and fall babies now?

No, statistically speaking, ther are more birthdays in August and September than other months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because there are many insecure parents with enough money to hold their kid out of school for a year and pay for a year of preschool/PreK.

I'm pretty secure in my decisions and we had plenty of funds to pay for preschool for an additional year.

At the time we had to make the decision, it was evident that DS would have a better experience starting as a very young 6 yr old than he would as a very young 5 year old. In fact, I was totally, unequivocally CONFIDENT that he'd have a better academic experience as a kid a little older than a little younger for his grade.

How is this "insecure" ? If anything, we were "cocky" or "smug" or "privileged." Not ... unsure and faltering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to K at 4 yo, but it sounds like K is very different now than when I went. It was only a half day and we even had nap/quiet time during that half day.

+1

Same, here. My parents had me tested to go early, but I was reading chapter books and my parents felt the positives outweighed the potential negatives. My two best friends were more than a full year older in the same grade.

I'm just glad I have an early April boy and it really isn't an issue we even have to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to K at 4 yo, but it sounds like K is very different now than when I went. It was only a half day and we even had nap/quiet time during that half day.

This is an excellent point that people tend to forget. Kindergarten is very different than it used to be. There is less free play time and more time spent sitting down and listening and then completing tasks. Most Ks are full-day now, with no nap time, which is tough for a 4-turning-5-year-old child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It's common pretty much everywhere, just not around here.


It's not that common in other places. IT's common here because people work too much and don't have time to parent their kids. When the kids get to K age, they aren't ready socially or academically because their parents neglected them.

I don't have a choice as my child was born in Oct. They will start when they are 5 turning 6. My concern was that my child will be very bored that extra year they are forced to stay out of kindergarten. I also appear to have a fairly smart child (at least my pediatrician tells me this). Luckily we are a two working family and we will socially and academically stunt our child's development due to the neglect. That just means my child will be average like the charming parent above who posted this. Anyways, I need to go find my child. They are probably playing with dangerous cleaners... If only I had time to parent my child instead of working... .