Not redshirting our May birthday boy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in a wealthy public school district where the majority of parents who have February to August birthdays are choosing to redshirt their boys so they will be 6 when starting Kinder. My son’s teacher has not indicated he should be held back however I have a number of friends who work in elementary education who said they would without a doubt hold a late May birthday back.

Through preschool, our tight knit community and several activities over the last few years, my son knows a large number of kids that will be in his grade if he goes on time as planned. At least a dozen or so he is very comfortable with and sees and plays with regularly.

I am inclined to send him on time (incoming 2020 Kinder) when we will be 5 years old and 3 months and not hold him back, however a part of me is hesitant because he will be the absolute youngest in the grade and there will be children a full 1.5 years older than him. Am I making a mistake here? Any advice.

My twins barley made the sept 30 cut off date by a couple days after being born 6 weeks early and started Kindy at 4. Meanwhile they had 6 year olds in their class that we’re blurting all the answers in class! These kids were much bigger then the rest of the kids. I think everyone should start at the appropriate age. Most of these Parents do this for athletic and academic reasons . Just don’t this this right and wrong,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're in McLean, land of redshirting in this area and my DD has a late May birthday. We went to several boy's 6th birthdays in May and June.

What grade is your dd?

Just finished kindergarten. Point was that most of the boys in her class seem to have been sent on time.

[Anonymous]

*Everyone really needs to contact their school board and their legislators about this issue.

[Anonymous]

I am in a wealthy NoVa school district any my July BD boy will start on time this fall at 5yr 2 mo. One of his friends will turn 5 on the first day of school.

All but 3 boys in his large, private preschool with multiple 4s classes are starting on time. The 3 boys who aren’t all have mid-September BDs. I know this because I am a class mom and I got a list of where all the kids are going to school next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My May birthday DS is a rising Freshman this year and I wish Every Single Day that I had not sent him to kindergarten on time. He was socially and academically ready for Kindergarten, but now that he is the youngest of his rising Freshman class and since he hasn't started puberty (so looks more like a rising 8th grader), I regret sending him on time.

I don't pay attention to the DCUM redshirt-haters and wouldn't base my decision on an anonymous board, but would look at the demographics of your actual school.

Almost anyone will tell you that you never regret waiting.

My now-adult DS was literally, the youngest in his HS class. I remember at open house thinking, some of these kids look old enough to drive! But you know what? 4 years later, at graduation, EVERYONE looked like young adults, DS included. Oh and ds was salutatorian, went to college and is an engineer. I'm so glad I did not redshirt him. He has said the same thing!

[Anonymous]

My rising third grader has a late September birthday and we sent him on time. He’s at the top of his class academically, athletically, socially. Every year his teachers are surprised when they see his birth date. Holding back a May boy for no reason seems crazy.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, DH was the youngest in his class and is now a very successful filmmaker, LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did not redshirt our June boy and ate not redshirting our early September girl (cut off is 9/30).

Hi- I have a June boy. Are you happy with your decision?

Yes, we are. He’s doing really well in school and socially. It helps that he’s a big kid - very tall and solid - so he can easily keep up with kids who are older than him.

[Anonymous]

In the same exact boat as you when you made this post…and losing sleep over the decision I need to make. Very curious to know what you ended up doing, and your thoughts on how it all worked out, or didn’t work out???

[Anonymous]

You should do what the majority of people do in your area. Sounds like that’s redshirting.

[Anonymous]

When are we going to draw the line? A redshirted boy with a May birthday will be 15 months older than my daughter who was born in August!!!

It's bad enough that my summer-born 2nd grader is dealing with a large group of kids 12-20 months older than him that were redshirted due to Covid (nobody wanted their kid to have virtual kindergarten, this I 100% understand), but now my soon to be kindergartner will have to deal with people doing the same thing for absolutely no reason?

[Anonymous]

No wonder so many young women are being sexually abused in high school. They are going to school with grown men!!

[Anonymous]

I redshirted but July bday son at the advice of his teachers.

I would send a May bday child whose teachers aren’t expressing concerns about K readiness, on time. (And I did, because I also have a child born in May.)

[Anonymous]

This is an old thread.

[Anonymous]

In the NW private school area, some May birthday boys are redshirted and some are not. I think the oldest redshirted kid I know has an end of April birthday. I know more boys that went on time with May-June birthdays than redshirted ones. All July-August birthdays are redshirted. The May-June birthdays are trickier. I would say 30% of May birthdays are redshirted and 50% of June ones (70% of July and 90% of August are redshirted).