The opposite of redshirting

[Anonymous]

Ugh, I don't know what to do when the time comes for my DD. She has an October 23rd birthday and all else being equal I am a rule follower and she should start when she's is 5 going on 6, BUT.....I (and every other female in my family going back as far as anyone can remember) started puberty EARLY. Like, bra at 8 and period by 10. It wasn't super traumatic for me (March birthday, so redshirting never in play)--if anything, it gave me some odd sort of "cred" with the other girls who kind of looked up to me, but the world is different now. Will she be picked on?

[Anonymous]

British schools start there children a year early. I know a lot of foreign service officers who have children a year younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:British schools start there children a year early. I know a lot of foreign service officers who have children a year younger.

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/nfer/index.cfm?9B1C0068-C29E-AD4D-0AEC-8B4F43F54A28

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, I am an early October birthday. I started K at 4. It was in California, though.

The only time it posed any issues was in later teen years when I was always the last of my peers to get a driver's license, turn 18, turn 21, etc. But in hindsight, that wasn't very traumatic. And it's balanced now by the fact that I'm the last to hit 40, etc. Turnabout is fair play.

In California at that time, the cut off was 31 December (I don't know if they changed it since then, but I have a 29 year old friend who went to school in California and that was the cut off date when he was there.) An October birthday there was well before the cut off, so there would be lots of other kids with similar birthdays. Very different from being almost a month younger than the next youngest kid in the class.

No matter how smart a child is, he or she still is developing physically and emotionally. Intellectual, physical, and emotional development all take place at different rates and advancement in one does not guarantee advancement in the others.

Yes, I see this frequently...people from our generation talking about how they were "young" in their class and it all worked out. But I think a lot more places had calendar year cut offs when we were kids and people aren't remembering that part. New York state had a December 31 cut off when I was a kid too.

I don't think being the last to turn 21 is such a big deal. I mean, in order to be the first to turn 21, you'd have to turn 21 your freshman or sophomore year, which isn't preferable for most of us. Most people don't graduate from college in 4 years.

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_326.10.asp

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2013/aug/11/ron-johnson/average-college-degree-takes-six-years-us-sen-ron-/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/education/most-college-students-dont-earn-degree-in-4-years-study-finds.html?_r=0

http://business.time.com/2013/01/10/the-myth-of-the-4-year-college-degree/

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_104.20.asp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - we currently have my daughter in a Private K program because she misses the Fairfax County cut-off by 11 days. She is 100% ready for Kindergarten. Just because her birthday is after the cut-off we felt it was wrong to have her do another year of Pre-K. My son's first grade teacher did not think I was crazy. She knows how smart he was and his sister is even smarter.

Fairfax county won't budge on allowing someone to test into K. So you will need to do private if you are in FFX County. Look for an accredited private school. You can find this on the State of Virginia Private School website.

How is our daughter doing? She is reading & writing. First one in her class to get through 20 word lists of 20 words at least on each word list. She LOVES Kindergarten. Her dad and I both started K as 4 year olds and both graduated college as 21 year olds. We would prefer that our daughter is the LAST to learn to drive or become legal instead of the FIRST.

Good luck to you!

Hope you are less insufferable in person although you seem to lack self awareness as to how foolish you sound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I am not sure I want to do it BUT I just want to know if it is an option. Both DH and I started kinder at 4 and it was really a good choice for us. We were both ready, so I don't think it is out of line to think that DS could be ready then.

Kinder is not what it used to be. It is not age appropriate for many 5 and 6 year olds, much less a young five or 4 year old. I would not do it, especially if you are in fcps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - we currently have my daughter in a Private K program because she misses the Fairfax County cut-off by 11 days. She is 100% ready for Kindergarten. Just because her birthday is after the cut-off we felt it was wrong to have her do another year of Pre-K. My son's first grade teacher did not think I was crazy. She knows how smart he was and his sister is even smarter.

Fairfax county won't budge on allowing someone to test into K. So you will need to do private if you are in FFX County. Look for an accredited private school. You can find this on the State of Virginia Private School website.

How is our daughter doing? She is reading & writing. First one in her class to get through 20 word lists of 20 words at least on each word list. She LOVES Kindergarten. Her dad and I both started K as 4 year olds and both graduated college as 21 year olds. We would prefer that our daughter is the LAST to learn to drive or become legal instead of the FIRST.

Good luck to you!

The key here is PRIVATE. If she were in fcps, I doubt she would be quite so thrilled, although girls certainly fare better than boys there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I am not sure I want to do it BUT I just want to know if it is an option. Both DH and I started kinder at 4 and it was really a good choice for us. We were both ready, so I don't think it is out of line to think that DS could be ready then.

Kinder is not what it used to be. It is not age appropriate for many 5 and 6 year olds, much less a young five or 4 year old. I would not do it, especially if you are in fcps.

My child is an early September birthday and academically she is doing well but she is not ready maturity wise. I wish she did have an October birthday so I would not have felt compelled to send her on time ( I know I didn't to). She is reading really well etc but kindergarten is very demanding in terms of executive functioning skills. Some children are not ready for that part of it even if they can complete the academic work